A Hunter in Equestria
by Cusi
Summary: After destroying the X, the Galactic Federation charges Samus with treason and hunts her down. While running from the GF, Samus escapes, but ends up crashing in Equestria, far from any explored sector in the universe and with no way of returning home. Can the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy adapt to a land full of talking, magical ponies who think friendship is magic?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I proudly present the first Metroid/My Little Pony crossover in FF! Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.

Summary: After destroying the X, the Galactic Federation charges Samus with treason and hunts her down. While running from the GF, Samus escapes, but ends up crashing in Equestria, far from any explored sector in the universe and with no way of returning home. Can the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy adapt to a land full of talking, magical ponies who think friendship is magic?

A few notes to readers:

1. This takes place after Metroid Fusion, which is the last game in the Metroid chronology/timeline so far. It also takes place after season 2 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

2. Samus crash lands on Equestria and meets the mane 6. I'll try to not make it too cliché. Also, no ponified Samus (at least, not planning to).

3. In this story, Samus is a Federation runaway. They are hunting her because she destroyed the X parasites in Fusion and they wanted to research on them (I recommend checking the Metroid Wikia for reference).

4. Checking the Metroid Wikia is recommended to those not overly familiar with the Metroid franchise; it also helps envisioning some things.

5. _Log entries and remarkable words, 'thoughts'_, **emphasis and chapter title**, **"texts"**, "talking", 'quotations in dialogue', OXOXO = scene change

6. I'm open to ideas! Any review is greatly appreciated. Feeding my ego will increase the chances for updates!

7. Any story inspired or ripped off from this story WILL catch my attention. Please tell me if you are going to write one, so I can read it!

Without further ado, enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: A new arrival**

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 001:_

_Under the suggestion of Adam, my ship's computer, I decided to record important events in my Logbook. He shares a philosophy with the Chozo: "Records of the past may be key in the solutions of the future". This may be of use in the nearby future. At least, I hope so..._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 002:_

_The X parasites have been eradicated from existence and are now extinct. Sadly, the Federation held interest in these parasites and blame me for their extinction. I am now charged with treason and complot against the Federation. Running away from the Federation is my best chance of survival. Perhaps an escape to Tallon IV is in order. The Etecoons and Dachoras will like the planet's ecosystem._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 003:_

_I've returned from Tallon IV, and left my animal companions there. I wish them a happy life. Tallon IV's scar is healing slowly. I am amazed at the Chozo culture; they perished in the planet cycles ago, and yet their influence persists. Although childish, the idea of a home planet is welcome. After the destruction of K-2L, Zebes, and now SR338, Tallon IV is the closest I have to a home. I miss my Chozo caretakers greatly. _

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 004:_

_Adam tells me our resources are dangerously low. We have decided to visit a Zebesian colony nearby; perhaps there are materials we can scavenge. I have a feeling I will find more than just materials, though. I can only hope the Pirates haven't returned._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 005:_

_I have arrived at the Zebesian colony. Scavenging for materials and fuel was successful, and there was no signs of recent Space Pirate activity. Exploring the ruins of the Space Pirates' base and Chozo ruins, I have encountered unexpected allies. Jayden Stark, a Galactic Federation scholar and leader of a small research team, was studying the same Chozo ruins I am in. He and his team have been here for almost two months. They are supportive to my case with the Federation and the X parasites, and so they have agreed to not alert the Federation of my presence here. At last, I can relax a little, if only a little..._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 006:_

_I have decided to stay for a while and help with the research. Having better acquainted myself with the research team, I now trust them as they trust me. It feels refreshing to have some human interaction again. Yoshi, the youngest researcher, has told me he is a Chozo enthusiast as well, and has eagerly offered me to show me his findings. To say I benefited with his findings would be a great understatement. He found a data recovery system of Chozo origin that was to be installed into my Power Suit, but ultimately failed to do so. Yoshi, however, has managed to crack its programs. The device is now being installed into my suit._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 007:_

_The installation was a success. The data recovery system has granted me access to every upgrade, weapon, and power-up my suit has ever received, the exceptions being the P.E.D (Phazon Enhancement Device), and the phazon-infused Hyper Beam. It feels good to have all these weapons again. I am now more powerful than ever. No pirate will stand a chance._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 008:_

_The research expedition has reached its end, and now the team has returned home. Jayden, Yoshi, Elton, Graxon, Tetra, Amy... They are the team of which I was briefly part of, and whom I can now call allies. I have stayed behind to pay my respects and gratitude to my deceased Chozo caretakers. With this expedition, I have a better understanding of my Chozo heritage. Chozo have always had a thirst for knowledge and deep respect for all things alive. As I took part in this team and its mission, I remember something I forgot during my life as a bounty-hunter: respect for living things and a desire to know more about them. In retrospect, the power of the Scan Visor now makes much more sense. I will return to my ship and Adam. I feel lucky to have found allies in these dark times._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 009:_

_I have discovered the location of an old Space Pirate base. It was full of Pirate activity. I don't know whether to admire their perseverance, or laugh at their stupidity. For such intelligent creatures, it seems they are unable to learn a lesson. They were still trying to clone Metroids. I thwarted their plan and eliminated every pirate and Metroid on the base. Unfortunately, the Federation also found the base. The fact that I destroyed the Metroids there didn't help my case at all. I am now under attack by the Federation._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 010:_

_The Federation's attempts to capture me have increased in intensity. Losing them has become increasingly difficult. On the bright side, they are hiring other bounty hunters to do their job. While some of them are bothersome, most of the hunters are easily disposed of, and the battle spoils are always welcome, specially the new ship. I managed to recover my Hunter-class Gunship. Transferring Adam to the new ship's computer was fairly easy to do._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 011:_

_I have been contacted by Jayden and his team. Adam has informed me that they are planning on another expedition, this time to Tallon IV, and have requested my assistance. I agreed. It will be nice to return to Tallon IV and to see my allies._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 012:_

_My reunions with Jayden's team was a bittersweet one; I'm happy to finally see them again, and angry that they were being followed by the Federation. Luckily, only one squadron was sent to follow the researchers. They were quickly taken care of._

OXOXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 013:_

_Uncertainty strikes again. The troopers that followed Jayden's team were on another mission and just followed them because of a mistake on their part. Their real mission was to hunt down Sylux, who is apparently still alive. While this means the Federation likely won't track us down here, it's possible for Sylux to be near. I have to keep my eyes open for any threat; Sylux is an expert in stealth and espionage._

OXOXOXOXOXO

"Well, that just about covers it! Thanks a million again, Samus. Your guidance was key in this investigation, as well as your extensive knowledge on the local fauna and flora. If you ever need any help with anything, feel free to ask me or any of my team. I'm sure they'll be glad to help a valuable friend" said a tall, blond man with a short beard and sharp features. He was wearing a lab coat and black pants, along with square glasses in his eyes. "I'm afraid this is where we say farewell to each other." He said as he gave Samus a friendly hug and a pat on her back.

Samus was without her Power Suit at the moment, so she dressed in her skin-tight full-body blue jumpsuit, or Zero Suit, as she called it. After the hug, she replied "Travel safe, and be on the lookout. I wish you luck."

The man smiled at her as he climbed on to board his ship, where his team awaited him. Waving silhouettes could be seen on the windows as the ship closed its hermetic doors and took off. Samus waved back until the ship was not visible anymore. She sighed, then headed back to her gunship, where Adam, the ship's computer, awaited her arrival.

As she entered her ship, Samus activated her Power Suit, and proceeded pilot the ship to leave the planet she was currently on. Her Hunter-class Gunship was, in all modesty, the best gunship to her tastes. It had the central cockpit, whose front window resembled her suit's visor. on its sides were the pincer-like wings, which carried the ship's missiles and weapons, as well as serving as footstands to support the ship when it was on land. Below the cockpit, a magnetic tracker was installed, which allowed her ship to carry all the big, heavy stuff, she was unable to by her own, using the ship's Grapple Beam. It also had a built-in ammunition microfactory, a medical bay, an energy-recharge station, storage containers, metal windshield shields, an auto-repair function, and most importantly, the most comfortable pilot chair she had ever sat on. And best of all, it was able to be controlled from her suit's Arm Cannon. Yes, she was the proud owner of this particular gunship.

Once she left the planet's atmosphere, she consulted Adam on their course of action. "The elimination of Sylux is our best course of action. A small ship resembling the Delano 7 was detected flying towards Norion. I suggest you follow it." sounded the male voice belonging to Adam.

"Good job, Adam. Set the navigation coordinates to the Kalandor Region. Commence hyperdrive, destination: Norion." Samus ordered.

"Coordinates set. Hyperdrive ready... Incoming message. Message received: 'Travel safe'." This confused Samus.

"Huh?"

"Initiating hyperspace travel in 3... 2... 1..." just at that moment, a strong blast hit the ship on its left wing, causing it to greatly alter its planned course. The last thing Samus saw before her gunship entered hyperdrive to an uncharted part of the universe was Sylux's ship, the Delano 7, with its plasma turrets aiming at her ship. As she was flying through the galaxy, Adam reported the sustained damage "Damage reports indicate a malfunction in the navigating system and control panels. I am unable to quit hyperdrive. Piloting the ship is impossible. We can only hope for the best..."

Undeterred, Samus jumped to the pilot seat and grabbed the steering lever. While it was impossible to pilot the ship, as Adam has just said, she would be able to lightly change the ship's course; a good thing, because she was heading to an asteroid field. Sadly, at the speeds they were traveling, it wouldn't do much help; and the damaged navigation system made it impossible to stop. She loudly cursed Sylux's existence.

By a stroke of luck, while passing through the asteroid field, a stray rock managed to hit one of the boosters, exiting hyperdrive and returning some control of the ship to the bounty huntress. Samus didn't relax, though, because she was still inside the asteroid field. Her years of experience in piloting came useful as she maneuvered around the rocks' random courses.

After some very tense minutes, the asteroid field was left behind; however, she saw the reason this part of the universe wasn't charted: glowing yellow spheres of something, presumably pure energy, were floating freely all around the space of her ship. She tried to fly around them, but one sphere managed to touch her gunship, and as soon as it did, it disappeared, but not without making the ship's controls go haywire again. And once again, Samus was flying on a ship with neither a set course nor controls to pilot it. Needless to say, she cursed Sylux's existence again.

Hours passed, and the Hunter-class gunship continued its unknown course. While many conscious beings would be panicking, fearing for their miserable lives, Samus was seating on her comfy pilot seat, no longer in her Power Suit, with her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands, and boredom in her face. She was going to update her log and curse Sylux again when Adam informed her they had ran out of fuel. She looked at the panels in her ship, and remembered they were useless thanks to some round, shiny pests. Her sight then went to the ship's windshield. It was pure luck, be it good or bad, she couldn't tell, that she was seeing a small planet. With the ship's momentum, it was inevitable to crash on it. The good part was that at the angle at which her ship would enter the planet's atmosphere, the landing wouldn't completely obliterate her transport, along with her on it. Still, touching ground would hurt. A lot.

She asked Adam for the remaining time before collision. Twelve minutes was her answer. She lost no time in activating her Power Suit and going to the back part of the ship, which she assumed would be damaged the least. Minutes went by, and the only thing she could do on was to close her eyes and wait for the best.

OXOXOXO

In a colossal stadium, with benches full of ponies of all colors and varieties, a show of bravery, skill, and control was being performed by Equestria's top flying squadron: the Wonderbolts. The pegasi, clad in blue spandex, were attempting to awe their audience again by performing the 'Fall of Death', in which they would fly up high, then fall to the ground and pass through rings on fire on both sky and land, grab a flag that was inches from the ground, and return to the podium to place said flag in. With their audience cheering loud for them, the Wonderbolts commenced their trick and gained altitude. However, before starting the dangerous fall, something caught their attention; on the distance they saw a meteor, burning and falling to the earth below. They weren't the only ones, apparently, since the whole pony audience saw it too. After some time passed, they resumed their trick, but not without agreeing on investigating the unusual phenomenon after their show. The audience exploded in cheers once again, the show was still going on, and nothing ever interrupted a show with the Wonderbolts in it.

OXOXOXO

"I will show you, Twilight. You will see..." an azure coated mare said to herself while blasting away targets sets in nearby trees and rocks, her horn glowing with magical energy "Nopony humiliates the Great and Powerful Trixie and gets away with it. Next time we meet, you better be prepared". Trixie destroyed the last target before picking a glass of water with her magic and began drinking from it. After the glass was empty, a brush levitated and started brushing her platinum mane. Once she was done, she picked her dark purple cloak. She was about to leave the forest she was in when something burning in the sky caught her attention. She looked up to see a meteor falling to the ground, surrounded by flames. It looked like it was going to crash near the very same town she was planning on visiting soon: Ponyville. She pondered what to do for a moment. "Well, I think Twilight and her town may have to wait. This meteor has caught Trixie's attention and Trixie wishes to investigate." With a confident smirk, she headed toward the mysterious space object.

OXOXOXO

"Thanks a lot for doing mah part, Big Mac! Ah promise ah'll bring ya some cake. Ya know how Pinkie Pie gets when we don' go to 'er parties. Ya sure ya can handle everythin'?" an orange pony with blonde mane and a cowboy hat waved as she left a big, red pony with orange mane and a yoke on his neck. He had a soft expression on his face and responded with a simple 'Eeyup'. He watched his sister leave the apple farm they were in. When he was alone, he turned to the trees full of apples and continued with his apple bucking.

A couple of hours later, Big Macintosh was bucking the last trees for the day. When the tree was free of apples, he gave a tired sigh raised his sight to see how much time had passed, only to find a meteor crashing near the farm with a loud BOOM. He immediately detached his apple cart from his yoke and sprinted toward the crash site.

OXOXOXO

When Samus saw the ground quickly approaching through the ship's window, she closed her eyes and braced for impact. The ship shook very violently for several moments, sending her flying and bouncing to and from the walls, before coming to a stop. She was sure her ship could handle a rough landing, but a damage report was in order.

After manually opening the ship's hatch/elevator, she went outside to check the damage. Once outside, she took a look to her surroundings. She climbed out of the newly formed crater and saw lots of trees. Not a forest, she could tell, more like the farms she saw on some history reports back on her academy days. An apple farm, one could assume. With no threats on sight, she returned to the crater to inspect her ship. Her scan visor proved useful once again, noting this planet's atmosphere was identical to that of her native planet, K-2L. It was safe to breathe without the aid of her suit. Nonetheless, she proceeded with her suit on.

After a quick scan, Samus concluded that her ship was mostly fine in the outside; only the propulsors were affected by the crash. She consulted Adam on the damage inside, and got disheartening answer. Adam reported that the fission reactor was badly damaged, and without it the ship couldn't initiate its auto-repair functions. She gave a loud, disappointing sigh, and once again, cursed every atom in Sylux's body. With frustration apparent in her face, Samus went inside the ship to collect her toolbox, and then exited it to begin _manual_ repairs.

Oh, how she hated manual repairs.

The bounty huntress deactivated her Power Suit, leaving her in her Zero Suit, to be able to handle her tools; as much as she loved her Arm Cannon, it wasn't particularly useful while handling delicate and precise tools. She began tinkering with the booster, cutting some cables and welding others. After a little while, smoke began erupting from the booster she was working on. When she took notice of this, her eyes widened. "Oh, shi-" she ws cut off as the booster exploded, sending her flying 40 feet in the air.

She landed on a branch of what seemed to be an apple tree. She felt intense pain coming from her left arm when she landed, most likely a fractured bone. The branch she was on snapped and she fell to the hard ground. She saw a red creature with big, green eyes and a sprig on its mouth looking oddly at her. Even stranger that the look it gave her was the green apple tattoo the creature had on its flank. Samus returned the creature's look of wonder with a look of confusion; then, she lost consciousness.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Any critique, review, comment, or suggestion is greatly valued. As said before, reviews aren't necessary, but they will cheer me up and keep me interested in keeping you interested. Thank you for your time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.**

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**Chapter 2: Encounters of the pony kind**

Samus was asleep. Asleep in the sense that she had hit her head pretty bad and had lost consciousness. It was all good, though. She was pretty comfortable in her ship's comfy chair. She was enjoying her sleep when a splash of water on her face mercilessly woke her up. She winced a little at the cold temperature and immediately came to a scary conclusion: she was **not** lying in her ship's comfy chair. She wasn't even in a chair; she was lying in a bed of hay and paper.

Samus opened her eyes to see the most bizarre scene her eyes had ever seen. And when you are an intergalactic bounty hunter that has saved the galaxy at least thrice, 'bizarre' is a rarely used term. Before her was a small white horse with a horn and a light purple and pink mane, looking at her with curious, pastel green eyes. A unicorn, she presumed (for what else could it be?). Said unicorn was holding an empty bucket in its mouth; most likely the cause of her sudden awakening. The human's eyes then darted around, seeing she was inside some sort of a rustic house; and inside with her were the white unicorn, and a bigger, yellow horse with wings and a wavy pink mane.

Two and a half seconds later, Samus took a sitting position. The scene around her was getting even stranger as she noticed a wet towel fall from her forehead when she rose, as well as her bandaged broken arm. This caused the horses to back a little. Without losing her poker face, Samus took in the rest of the scene.

Again, this was... strange. Samus couldn't think of another word, other than bizarre. The yellow pegasus and small white unicorn weren't her only companions. All staring at her as if she was some sort of monster was: a purple unicorn that just stopped reading a book on a couch, the big red horse she saw before losing consciousness chewing a twig of something, a rainbow-maned pegasus just hovering around, and a blonde orange horse with a cowboy hat, a small yellow horse with red mane and a big pink bow on her head, and a small orange pegasus with purple mane.

Now, Samus though, 'strange' wasn't even close to what lay before her eyes felt. A unicorn reading a book? A freaking horse wearing _a freaking cowboy hat_? What was worse of all was that apparently **she** was the injured animal to them, and they were taking care of her. She stood up and tried to contact Adam. Samus touched her pill-sized communicator on her ear, only to realize it wasn't there; she panicked. She reached for her paralyzer on the holster in her leg, but it was gone too, just like her poker face. She did a backflip and distanced herself from the mysterious horses, alert to any attack. After a moment, no attack came so Samus relaxed a little, but not quite trusting the creatures yet.

Seeing her display of fear and confusion, the yellow pegasus approached her with caution and kindness in her eyes. Great, now she was a scared little critter in the pegasus's eyes. Every horse in the room put their attention on her, what threw her off a little was that the book the purple unicorn was reading simply levitated to a small table, where she saw her paralyzer. So there it was! And her communicator too! Before she could attempt to reach for them, a soft neighing caught her attention. She saw the yellow pegasus slowly reaching for her head.

"Stay away!" yelled Samus at the creature before kicking it hard on its front leg and jumping toward the table with her weapon. This reaction put the rest of the creatures on guard. The cowboy pony quickly took the hurt pegasus's side, while red one quickly took his position between Samus and the three smaller ponies, which now she realized must be just foals. Not that it mattered; Samus had her hand on her weapon.

Unfortunately, she made a grave mistake: she forgot about her broken arm. A sharp pain made her drop the Paralyzer and fall to her knees, grabbing her injured limb and gritting her teeth. Before any being could do anything, the yellow pegasus once again approached her, but this time, she had a plate with salad in her mouth. The winged horse offered the salad, along with a friendly smile.

Samus was now in conflict. She was taken care of by creatures she had never met before, creatures that had taken away her means of communication and self-defense. Also, her pride hurt at being the weak, defenseless creature in a room full of strong equines.

Finally, she gave a defeated sigh, released her weapon and began talking "I am deeply sorry. I'm not used to being the one taken care of. Thank you for your help, but I'll be leaving now." All horses looked at her with a confused expression once again, except for the one that offered her the salad, who gave her an understanding nod. With that, it went to the door and opened it for Samus to leave if wanted to. Samus gave the pegasus a smile before placing her communicator back in her ear and her Paralyzer back in her leg's holster.

With a wave of her good arm, she left the barn to contact Adam. Before she left, she saw an old horse sleeping while rocking back and forth in a rocking chair; a sight she quickly dismissed to touch the device in her ear. As she received the location of her ship via her computer assistant, one glanced back revealed the blue pegasus looking at her as if she was crazy. Samus simply shrugged and continued her path. As she began walking, she felt her pride take another beating for some reason.

OXOXO

As all the gathered ponies watched the strange lizard-monkey with blonde mane leave the house, they directed a 'please explain' look to Fluttershy, who waved to the mystery creature as it went back home. When the shy pony saw their gazes, she shrank a little before explaining "What? My special talent is taking care of animals. I'm able to understand what they say, or least the basic message. She was just surprised to see an unfamiliar place."

"Whatever." Twilight answered "But I've never seen anything like that before, not even in my books. This could be the discovery of the century! Rainbow Dash, do you think you could trail it back to its lair? I'm certain that creature is connected somehow with the explosion Big Mac described earlier."

"Sure thing."

"When you find out where it lives, inform us. We'll go investigate tomorrow. It's been a long day, I'm going home." with a yawn, Twilight left the Apple family's house to head to her own. She was followed by everypony not belonging to the Apple family.

OXOXO

After an hour of searching, Samus finally reached her beloved gunship. Her mood lowered when she saw the state it was in. That last explosion destroyed the boosters, and Adam had reminded her that the auto-repair system was offline. Another report from Adam indicated that almost all systems were slightly damaged, but inoperable. The only working things were the computer, its data, and the ammunition factory. She cursed her luck, along with Sylux's existence once again. Without the ship's medical bay, her arm would have to heal by itself! How long would **that** take? She was no stranger to injuries, but this particular case made her appreciate all the medical achievements a little more. With her arm in the state it was, she would be unable to use her Power Suit.

Hmm... The Power Suit...

With the help of her helmet, she could probably translate everything the horse things were saying, thus providing the communication skills necessary to go around and learn a thing or two about this planet. Her recent activities with Jayden and his team had reawakened her desire to learn, as well as reminding her of her Chozo heritage.

Besides, it's not like she had anything better to do.

So, it was decided; she would fabricate a translator and learn more about the strange horse creatures that had helped her. Samus entered her ship and shared her plan with Adam, who provided useful tips and instructions "I am able to replicate most of the software found in your suit's helmet. Copying should be easy enough. I suggest taking a visual device as well, you may want the scan power your helmet provides. There are some spare visors in the storage. They may prove useful." With her good arm, Samus took a small electronic welder and began working on her translator.

Within the hour, her little contraption was finished; and the small earphone was placed in her ear. If it worked, she would be able to understand and speak the same language as those horses. With the analytical prowess of her suit, this gadget was easy to make. Once again, Samus found herself amazed at the technological wonders the Chozo were able to make. She wondered if her own technological ability was in part thanks to the Chozo DNA in her.

Her musings, however, were interrupted when Adam spoke "Equine life-form detected outside the ship. Threat level: minimal." This caught Samus's attention. Samus peeked outside through the windshield and saw one of the horse things outside. It was the small orange pegasus. It was looking at her ship with wonder and a little fear. Still, it could be called impressive, a horse following her here in that scooter.

Scooter.

A horse riding a scooter. Samus deadpanned; the cowboy horse didn't seem _that_ strange anymore.

Whatever, this was the perfect chance to test out her new little gadget. Samus exited her ship in order to converse with the scooter-riding foal. As soon as she got out, however, the little equine jumped back, frightened. It was no taller than Samus's waist. Samus raised her good hand in signal of peace. A signal that was completely ignored, so she instead kneeled to the horse's eye level. The foal just looked at her with fearful eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Samus began, eager to know if her work had paid off. This seemed to ease the fear in the young pegasus, but now it looked confused.

"W-What are you?" was her response. Samus grinned at her success.

"I'm a human. And what are you?"

"I'm a pony. A pegasus!" answered the pony proudly, puffing its chest and standing a little straighter. This brought a little smile to Samus; she was making progress! The pony continued with her questions "Do you have a name? What is a human? What's that thing in your leg? Is that your house?"

Before Samus could answer, she was tackled to the ground by a stronger and bigger pegasus. She avoided falling on her broken arm, but the impact was still strong. She fell to the ground before seeing the rainbow-maned pony hovering in front of the orange one. "Squirt! What are you doing here? Go back home."

"But Rainbow Dash, it's just..." the smaller one began, but got interrupted.

"NOW!" yelled the grown mare. The filly reluctantly obeyed and rode away in her scooter. The cyan pegasus returned her attention to the bounty huntress, who had reached her Paralyzer and was pointing it to her attacker. "And you! What do you think you're doing? Nopony messes with my friends, unless they want pain." she spat.

Rainbow Dash began to charge again, but received a burst of electrical energy from that weapon. Her muscles all tensed, and she fell to the ground, unable to move. She glanced up, only to see the same weapon aimed at her face. She gulped.

"I was only trying talk to the small pony. I'm not here with hostile intentions, but I won't hesitate in eliminating you if pose a threat." The paralysis had passed, and both creatures were staring at each other's eyes.

After a while, the pegasus finally responded "That spark shooter is really awesome!" That threw Samus completely off, it wasn't what she was expecting from such a tense moment. She lowered her weapon and began her questions.

"What planet are we in?"

"Huh?"

"What planet are we in? ...Do you know what a planet is?" the pegasus looked at her with confusion in its face. Samus sighed "Forget it. I guess you can't help me."

This brought realization to equine's face "Oh, you need help? Why didn't you tell me so? I'm sure my friend Twilight can help you. She's a real nerd, so she may know what you want to know!" Samus's face lightened up with hope. The pegasus continued "But it's late. My friends were coming over tomorrow, anyway, so can you wait until then?"

"Yes. There's no rush. Thank you very much"

The pegasus was about to take off when she stopped "Oh, by the way, I'm Rainbow Dash!"

What a stupid name, Samus though, but whatever "Samus Aran".

"Ok, Samus Aran, see ya tomorrow." and with that, Rainbow Dash flew out of sight.

The pony was right, figured Samus, nighttime was almost here, if the location of this planet's sun was any indication. She returned inside her ship to try and repair any device she could before going to sleep on her comfy pilot seat.

Oh, how she loved that seat!

OXOXO

**"Dear Princess Celestia:**

**I hope you are well. Today, my friend Big Macintosh found a very unusual creature. I find its anatomy difficult to describe, as well as its behavior. I believe that creature is strongly connected to the meteor crash near Ponyville. If this is the case, we may be dealing with something from beyond the stars. An 'alien', if you will. As you may have concluded, I am requesting permission to investigate this matter. **

** Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle**

**P.S. Please give Princess Luna my regards."**

There! With the Princess informed of her plan, Twilight was ready to start studying the mysterious creature. "Spike! Please send this to the princess. Tomorrow will be a busy day; we will study the creature Big Mac found, but I need to inform the princess first." Spike, the baby dragon, simply took the scroll with the message written and blew a little green ember to make it burn and make its way to the princess in the form of smoke.

"Study it? Didn't you say it was dangerous and that it hurt Fluttershy?" asked the worried assistant.

"Well, yeah. But I'm sure it was a misunderstanding! If what I assume is correct, that thing is an intelligent being. Perhaps it was just the lack of communication skills that made it violent; like a cornered animal. Besides, we could all learn about..." the unicorn continued talking, making the dragon go from worried to annoyed.

"If you say so. I'm going to bed." Spike began his way upstairs, but burped a letter before reaching the stairs. The letter levitated to the librarian's face with her magic. Spike simply continued his quest for sleep."There's your letter. Good night." with a yawn, he left Twilight's company. Twilight didn't even reply; she was too busy reading the written response.

**"My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle**

**I can't force you to stop your studies, so I won't. However, I would like you to avoid unnecessary risks. I have arranged a couple of royal guards to accompany you and your friends to see this creature. They should arrive first thing in the morning. Should any complication arise, don't hesitate to contact me immediately. I wish you the best of luck.**

** Your mentor, Princess Celestia"**

Well, it was settled. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day, to say the least. With everything in order, Twilight went to bed. She would need to be well rested.

OXOXO

It was nighttime. A beautiful night, Samus noticed. The repairs were going a lot slower than she predicted; but then again, she only had one working arm. She was unsure of how to feel. Crippled in an unknown planet with no real means of defense or offense, and yet she was feeling at peace, as if this world had no problems at all. What she was sure of was the fact that she was **very** tired. Sleeping was not the same thing as being unconscious, after all. Almost the instant she lay on her favorite chair, she fell asleep. Tomorrow would demand her full attention, and rest was a necessity for that.

OXOXO

Twilight had awakened. It was still early, but she was well rested. She woke Spike up and told him to prepare his things. They needed to get ready for today's expedition. The guards would arrive any minute now, and they needed to be briefed on the plan of action. With a groan, then a stretch, Spike got out of his basket to pack his things and make some breakfast.

Just as everything was packed and ready (books, snacks, a map of the area, and more books), there was knock on the door. When Twilight opened it, she saw Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie standing outside. She welcomed them and invited them inside. The only ones missing were Fluttershy and the Princess's guards.

"So, everypony ready?" asked an excited Twilight. They all nodded. "Come on in. Now where is Fluttershy? It's not like her to come late."

"Oh, she went ahead with the Crusaders." answered Pinkie Pie.

"WHAT?!" Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack yelled in unison.

"Yeah! Didn't you know? I thought you knew, otherwise I would've been like 'Hey, you can't go. You have to ask your sisters.' and stuff. You really need to take better care for your little sisters."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Fluttershy can take care of the Crusaders. You know her." Twilight tried to calm the elder sisters and role model, but was met with skeptic eyes. She gave them a sheepish smile when the door was knocked on again "Great! They're here" without losing any time, the librarian rushed to the door and opened it. Behind it were her brother, Shining Armor, and two other ponies, all clad in golden armor.

"Hey, Twily!" Twilight gave a low 'squee' and rushed to hug her big brother.

A moment later, her friends exited the library as well and they all exchange greetings. After being briefed on the course of action, Shining Armor began talking "So I take everypony is ready? Good! Now, let me introduce you to my comrades. This is Iron Shield..." he indicated to the light gray pegasus behind him, he gave a small bow with his head "...and this is Spearhead." the black earth pony imitated his partner and bowed as well. "They will be coming with us to make sure nopony is hurt. And as the captain of the Royal Guard, I'm here to make sure this creature isn't a threat to Equestria. If everypony is ready, I suggest we depart now." With that, they all followed Rainbow Dash to the crash site with a mix of excitement and nervousness, ready for their new adventure.

OXOXO

Morning finally came, and with it, the orange foal. Samus awoke and flinched when she rolled on her injured arm. Now fully awake thanks to the pain, she saw the scooter pony had returned. Equipping her translator and Paralyzer (you could never be **too** cautious), as well as a new cast for her arm, Samus exited her ship.

Once outside, she saw the foal was not alone; the white unicorn and yellow horse were with her, both probably the same age as the scooter rider. The yellow pegasus that bandaged her arm was also there. It warned the little ones "Now, now girls. Try not to frighten the poor little thing. It may still be confused about yesterday." Apparently, the big spaceship behind Samus went ignored, and Samus could do nothing but meet the pony's gaze with incredulity in her eyes.

After an awkward moment, the human finally spoke "I apologize for my behavior yesterday; I'm not familiar with this place. I'm grateful to you and your friends." This shocked her visitors, except the orange one.

"You can talk?!" As soon as the shock passed, the bigger pony hid half its face behind its mane and barely whispered "I'm sorry. Um... I didn't know you could, you know, talk. Oh, I feel so ashamed! I'm really sorry!" the shy pony finished as it lowered its head.

"Forgive Fluttershy. She..." began the little pegasus "...is really shy. But how come you didn't speak yesterday if you can talk. You gave us a nasty scare!" Samus simply gave a little chuckle.

"That's because I couldn't. You see this thing?" she pointed to the translator in her ear "It's a translator. It lets me understand what you say, and make what I say sound understandable to you. Now that we understand each other; I'm Samus, Samus Aran." she extended her good arm to offer a handshake. The foal seemed to understand the gesture, as she took it and shook it with her hoof.

"I'm Scoolatoo. And those are Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Fluttershy." Scootaloo said as she pointed to the respective ponies. They all nodded or greeted her. Those had to be the most ridiculous names Samus had ever heard; and she had heard a lot. At least 'Rainbow Dash' made sense. These ponies only furthered the line of what was considered strange. A scooter-riding pony named Scootaloo? Come on!

A few moments of awkward silent followed, Samus being watched with excitement and eagerness by the younger ponies, and with fear and nervousness by the older one. Those moments were broken when Sweetie Belle asked rather randomly "Are you an alien?" Samus could do nothing but raise an eyebrow at the question. When Sweetie Belle got no answer, she repeated the question.

"I... guess you could say that. Where I'm from, the word has lost all meaning." the hunter finally answered. It made sense; when you spend most of your audiences with all kinds of sentiment species and leaders, the word 'alien' kind of loses its meaning.

"Ooh!" was the simple reaction from all three foals.

Samus was about to ask about this world they were in, but her attention was caught by a cyan pegasus landing near the ponies. Soon after that, the rest of the group entered her vision; however, she could see something hide behind some bushes, most likely scared of her presence. Another awkward silence ensued.

It was Rainbow Dash who interrupted it this time, as she greeted the alien with enthusiasm "Hi Samus! These are my friends..." Before she could finish, Pinkie Pie was already face to face with Samus, eying her intensely. Samus could only return the pink pony's gaze with her emotionless expression.

A couple of seconds later, Pinkie Pie backed a little, and with a gigantic smile on her face, shouted with force "Welcome to Equestria! We hope your stay is a pleasant one!" while confetti blew up from somewhere. And yet again, the line for strange grew further.

The rest of the mares were introduced by Pinkie Pie. Her energy deeply annoyed Samus, but she said nothing in order to avoid any conflict between the two species. Samus then noticed the armor-wearing stallions, who didn't share the friendliness and energy the mares had. They had a more serious, 'we-are-here-only-for-business' look on their face. Guards, she presumed, if the armor was any indication.

The white unicorn introduced his fellow guards as 'Iron Shield' and 'Spearhead', names even more ridiculous than 'Scootaloo', and that was saying something. However, the cream of the cake was the captain himself; his name was 'Shining Armor'. **Shining Armor**, a name made even more ridiculous by the fact that he was wearing armor that happened to shine; as well as the stupid phrase 'Prince in shining armor'. So what to do with this level of ridiculousness? The only thing Samus hadn't done in _years_. She laughed.

Hard.

Samus began laughing so much, her arm began hurting a lot, but did nothing to lessen her laughing. Tears even began rolling down her cheek. Tears! She had probably made a grave mistake, offending the Captain of the Guard and all, but she could bring herself to care at the moment. What was next? Magical princesses? Rainbow factories? A haunted forest? The sheer amount of silliness was too much to bear, even to her. What made the scene even stranger was that the pink pony had joined her laughter, and even Iron Shield gave a chuckle or two. The rest of the ponies just looked at them with annoyance, amusement, or confusion on their faces. Shining Armor just looked at her with all three.

After a few minutes passed, Samus regained her composure, as well as her serious face, and proceeded to apologize "I apologize, I don't know what came into me. I'm not usually like this. Please forgive my offense." Shining Armor had patiently waited for her to stop laughing before returning to the conversation.

"It's all right. No offense taken. I am, however, in the need to investigate your..." he looked behind Samus, at her ship.

"Gunship?" she finished for him.

"Yes, your 'gunship'. We just need to make sure it poses no threat to our land. I hope you understand."

Samus sighed "Let me save you the trouble. It **does** pose a threat to your land. It was a ship built for combat. It's got all kinds of weaponry and functions. However, the crash has damaged most of my equipment and it is now unable to fly, or do anything really. It's also out of fuel. I don't suppose you have the materials and tools required to repair it. Oh, and it is the only thing I have as a shelter. If you are going to inspect it, go ahead. Just don't break anything more than it already is. I'd hate it if my ship exploded." This made the guards surround her, ready to attack at the lowest threat signal. She simply raised her hands in sign of surrender, her face not showing the least fear, or any emotion for that matter. She may dislike the next moments, but at least she was being honest with all of them.

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to take you with us. Twilight, please call Spike; we need to send a letter to the princess. Now, Samus, we will take you to Princess Celestia; she will know what to do with you."

Great. Samus was going to trial for something she wasn't even sure she did. The rustling of a nearby bush brought her attention, and from it came a small purple dragon.

"Ridley!" Before anypony could react, Samus had leapt across the distance between herself and the dragon. She quickly took her Paralyzer and hit the purple reptile on the head with her weapon, then aimed it at his cowering form. She had a look of pure rage on her features.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the mares and the guards ready to attack once again; the horns on the unicorns' heads began to glow, and were aimed at her. She then saw her victim again, and realized it was on the ground with its claws covering its head, trembling in fear. The sight made her feel horrible inside. This wasn't a ruthless Pirate Leader; this was a baby cowering in fear, hurt by her loss of control.

She dropped her weapons and fell to her knees, mentally paralyzed; she wouldn't cause another death by her lack of criteria. Her face went from angry to regretful. She apologized to the dragon, and told the guards to tie her up; she would **not **let her emotions get the better of her. She no longer had the energy to resist any thing they did to her. The guards simply looked at each other, not sure what just happened. Applejack offered her rope, breaking yet another tense silence.

OXOXO

Samus was tied up, her head and spirit down. She was being carried on a wagon, surrounded by three guard stallions, a baby dragon, six mares, and three fillies. They were headed toward a place called Canterlot; the capital, she supposed. The journey was silent for her; she spoke no word. She could see the fillies trying to cheer up the abused dragon, Spike; and failing to do so.

Spike was seated on Twilight's back, casting his attacker occasional hateful glances and rubbing the bump on his head. Fluttershy was flying near the dragon, concern evident in her face. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were discussing something with the captain. Pinkie Pie was unusually cheerful for some reason; she was definitely the oddest one. Rarity was showing concern for the fillies, trying in vain to keep them away from the dangerous human. The other two guards simply kept pulling the wagon she was in. She could escape anytime she wanted; the rope could be easily disposed of, and taking care of the guards would be simple enough. Her life as a bounty hunter made all of that and more possible.

And yet, there she was, charged of being dangerous and a threat to the peace of the land. Rightfully so, after the little scene she had performed with an innocent child. She sighed. How far was this Canterlot, anyway? She just wanted it to end, return home, and carry on with her life.

But did she really wanted her life back?

She had never felt so at peace before she landed in this peaceful land. A fact that made her remember why she couldn't stay. She was a threat, a danger to defenseless creatures, and that was something this land certainly didn't need.

So distracted was she with her thoughts that she failed to notice they had arrived at an enormous castle. She noticed, however, when Shining Armor shook her to gain her attention "We're here. Don't try anything funny; there are at least a couple hundred guards ready to attack if prompted to. You will be taken to the Princess, who will determine your fate." His words were harsh, but she expected no less from a captain.

She was escorted to a big hall, with a tall ceiling and decorated with windows mosaics. At the center of the room was a pony, a winged unicorn at least twice the size of Shining Armor. She was a royal white, a sun tattoo on her flank, and a mane that resembled the sky auroras that were rarely seen in the nights of her native planet of K-2L.

As soon as every pony entered the room, they all knelt to their ruler. Samus didn't; she simply stared at the imposing figure in the center of the room. She saw Twilight signaling her to bow with a move of her head, but Samus simply shook her head. "Sorry, but I don't bow to anyone." Her attitude could cost her dearly, but she had a code to follow. The princess didn't seem offended, though. She simply made a movement to indicate the guards to leave. They reluctantly obeyed, taking the fillies and dragon with them; and left Samus alone with the Princess of the Sun and the six mares that represented the Elements of Harmony.

After a couple of minutes silently studying Samus, Princess Celestia finally spoke "You must be Samus. Welcome to Canterlot Castle. I must say, I was expecting to meet you on different circumstances, but alas, it seems it was not meant to be that way." she looked a little disappointed, but continued nonetheless, "Do you know why you have been brought to me?"

Samus closed her eyes and nodded "Yes. I know why I've been brought to you. I can take anything you throw at me, so don't hesitate to do your worst." Celestia simply gave her a smirk.

"Excellent!"

* * *

**A/N: I want to thank Dygen Entreri, Qwerty Hooves, and XiaolinMamodo for their reviews! Sorry to say, but I don't plan on using Metroid or Phazon. However, if any suggestion is made describing how to include the Metroid, Phazon, or pretty much everything, I shall consider it. Please review and suggest; ideas are always welcome and are a good way to combat writer's block. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: A different perspective**

"Excellent!" said the princess "I'm glad to hear you are willing to make up for your crimes. Knives!"

From the back part of the hall, came rushing a dark gray stallion with white mane and two crossed knives as his cutie mark. "Knives at your service, your majesty." he said as he knelt before the alicorn.

"As you can see, we have a _guest_." the princess motioned her head toward Samus. The gray pony noticed she was tied. "I would like you to prepare the 'Sharp Knives Treatment', please" This request surprised the servant, as well as the incarnation of the Elements of Harmony.

"B-But your highness, isn't that a little too much? I mean..." began Knives, but was cut off by a stern look from the princess "I-I understand. Everything will be ready within the hour." with that he returned to the entrance at the back of the room and disappeared. Samus gulped at hearing this.

Celestia returned her attention to the bounty hunter. She began talking with a voice that could only be described as a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "Now, I would like you to explain why you had to hurt poor little Spike. As far as I know, he did nothing wrong to you. Please tell us, I'm sure everypony here would love to hear your reasons."

"It's complicated. I wouldn't want to bore your with my tales. I'm sure a princess such as yourself is very busy." replied Samus with a calm voice; her face never losing its seriousness. "Just proceed with whatever you were planning to do to me."

"Luckily, today's royal activities are all done; and as you can see, we have one hour before the _preparations_ are complete, so we have time to spare on a little explaining." countered Celestia with her sweet and calm voice; a voice too sweet and calm to be directed to a criminal like Samus, the huntress though. She was finding it hard to read the pony ruler.

"Fine" Samus concluded there really wasn't a reason not to tell her reasons. Still, they didn't need _all_ the details. "I'm an intergalactic bounty hunter. There was this space dragon that caused me... _trouble_. He was the leader of a group of pirates, and was as ruthless as can be. I was sent on a mission to destroy one of their bases; and after a long and intense fight, I ended his life. However, the Space Pirates found ways to revive him. After a while, I killed him again." she noticed most of the mares flinched when she said the word 'kill' like it was an everyday activity. "But he would not disappear. He kept reviving; whenever there was a mission involving the pirates, **he** would be present. Then the day came I was sent to a specific Pirate base with the objective to steal their data and blow up the place. In that base, I saw something the filled me with dread and rage: a laboratory with countless stasis tanks, all holding the suspended forms of Ridley's clones. They were at their initial stage of development, a stage that somewhat resembled your little friend. Needless to say, those were not natural. I completed my mission, but at the time of the explosion, I saw several escape pods being launched. Not knowing if those pods were decoys, escaping pirates or if they carried clones, I set to track all the pods. Turns out they were carrying clones, and that they were developing. I managed to eliminate most of them, destroying them before they managed to grow. However, I don't know if I got them **all**. Uncertainty made me paranoid. It came to the point I attacked anything vaguely resembling him or his undeveloped clones. I can see now that your friend is not one of them. I was... Let's just say I'm mentally unstable; it works for me." Another long silence befell the human and the ponies; the smaller ones not knowing what to say, and the royal one eying the human.

Finally, Princess Celestia spoke again. "Samus, I have lived long enough to know when somepony is not telling the whole truth. You reasons for hurting little Spike are understandable; but from what I can see from you, you are not a fool who would overlook obvious clues just to settle a petty grudge. There is more to your story than you let on, so I would like to ask you to tell us your _full_ story behind this dragon of yours." the last words were said a little harshly.

"That's..." Samus began, then looked away "...none of your business." Celestia simply sighed in disappointment. Twilight was about to say something to Samus, but was cut off by the princess.

"Don't bother." Celestia said "Leave us." The six ponies just looked between each other, then left the room in silence, leaving Samus and Celestia alone.

After they were gone, Celestia walked toward one of the windows. She then turned her head to Samus, who simply looked at her. Celestia closed her eyes and returned her gaze to the window. "Equestria is a land that has had no wars, or any mayor conflict, in more than a thousand years." she began with a solemn voice "We have enjoyed peace for as long as this land has existed. I ask you: Do you know why?"

"No. I don't"

"It's because there has been no need to fight. When all the parties are understanding of each other, making peace is easy. No one likes conflicts, so they do their best to avoid it." Celestia opened her eyes and turned to Samus once again. "Before Equestria was founded, the 3 tribes of ponies lived away from each other. There was conflict between them, and times weren't really peaceful. One day, the leaders of the tribes organized a meeting to discuss their relationships with each other. In that meeting, they ended becoming friends with each other. Thanks to this friendship, the relationships between tribes got better and better, until all 3 decided to found a kingdom where all 3 tribes could live in peace and harmony." Were it not for the seriousness in the princess's voice, Samus would've scoff at the idea. As if on cue, the Sun Princess continued "I know it may be hard for someone with your lifestyle to understand just how powerful real friendship can be, but I just wanted to tell you that all that..." she pointed to the land beyond the window "... came from the trust between 3 leaders and their tribes. Now, I..." She was interrupted by Knives, who came from the entrance at the back of the hall. Once inside the room, he bowed.

"Your majesty, the preparations are complete. You may proceed whenever you like."

"Oh, goodness! So soon? Time flies when you're having fun." was her joyful response. Fun? Samus just raised an eyebrow at that word. "Could you please guide the ponies that brought Samus? Take them to the '_Event Room_'. This occasion is something I don't want them to miss."

"Of course." Knives bowed again and left the room to call the other ponies.

"Thank you." Celestia turned to face Samus "We'll finish this conversation later. Right now, we are going to deal with you. You have committed an offense to someone, and you have to take responsibility. Come with me." Celestia began to walk away, the wagon Samus was on followed her on its own. "I can't wait to get started!" Samus got nervous and gulped; she had no idea what they were going to do to her. Whatever it was, though, she was sure she could take it; she was the most feared hunter in the galaxy, after all.

OXOXO

"We're here!" exclaimed an excited Celestia as she opened the gigantic doors of a room and led Samus's wagon inside. Samus could do nothing but widen her eyes in shock. "I hope you are able to handle this. It'd be a shame to let Knives's hard work go to waste."

Not even her years as a legend could prepare Samus for what lay before her eyes. The room she was in was brightly lit. There was a long table in the middle of the room, covered by an elegant tablecloth; and seated at the table were Shining Armor, Spike, the 3 fillies from earlier, and the 6 mares that brought her to the castle; all with confusion on their faces (except Pinkie, who had that silly grin). What shocked her the most was what was on the table. Instead of torture utensils or death devices, there was a buffet. All kinds of fruits and vegetables, artistically cut and decorated; sandwiches made from some sort of flowers, expertly stacked on silver platters; several big bowls of colored beverages; various fritters scattered throughout the table; and at the very center, a massive cake decorated with frosting and some fruits.

"I hope you enjoy the 'Sharp Knives Treatment', my ladies and gentlecolts." said Knives as he bowed and presented his culinary creations with the pride any chef would have. "_The best treatment for your tummies are these delectable yummies!_"

Any other person would be staggering for words, flabbergasted, but Samus settled with a look of confusion. After gathering her thoughts, she turned to the princess, begging for an explanation. "Wasn't I supposed to be getting punished for my offense or something? I doubt a feast is considered punishment."

Princess Celestia looked at her before releasing a soft laugh. "Oh no, I never said anything like that! I said you had to take responsibility for your offense, and what better way to do it than to ask the one you offended how? I hope you don't mind asking him while we eat; I have been craving Knives's special recipes for quite a while now, and this looked like a good time to ask for it. Shall we?" Celestia offered. When she got no response, she realized something "Oh dear, how silly of me. I forgot to untie you." with the princess's magic, the ropes binding Samus untied and fell to the ground. With that done, the equine ruler took her seat at the head of the table. Samus took a seat between the princess and Shining Armor. "Let's eat!"

With those two simple words, everypony just forgot their worries and began eating. Samus saw no reason not to do the same, and proceeded to join them. She was a little unsure, eating pony food and all, but ultimately gave in and tasted the food; she had nothing to eat since the crash, after all. Not bad, she though, considering it was _pony_ food.

After they finished eating, the night sky could be seen outside the windows. The princess cleared her throat to grab everypony's (and human's) attention. "It has been a delicious dinner, Knives. I congratulate you on your effort." Knives just bowed with a proud smile on his face. "Now, I'm certain Samus here has something she wants to say."

Samus's pride suffered another intense and merciless blow; she was expected to apologize as if she were a little child? Celestia **had** to be kidding. Samus turned away with an offended face, and then she looked at Celestia. The equine monarch simply lowered her head a little without breaking eye contact with the huntress. Not two seconds later, Samus complied, albeit with great resignation. She turned to Spike, and in a voice seething with anger and humiliation, apologized to the baby dragon.

"I'm sorry I hit you on the head. I should have been more careful when hunting for intergalactic space-dragon murderers." She even went as far as giving the reptile brat a bow. Had she be wearing her Power Suit, she would've unloaded all her missile containers on Celestia's head. The overgrown pony was lucky Samus had a broken arm.

"There! Don't you feel better already?" said the alicorn with a wide smile. Celestia seemed to enjoy humiliating Samus; who simply glared daggers at the princess. "I'm sure now that you apologized, you could all be friends!" If looks could kill, Celestia would've been dead four times already. The deep hatred was interrupted by Spike's voice, who looked at Samus with understanding in his eyes.

"D'aww, I forgive you. You actually look like a nice guy!" that cheered Samus a little "I mean, It's not your fault you're crazy." and that made her angry again. "I just hope you don't hit me again; that hurt!"

"It has been a very enjoyable dinner." Celestia spoke again "Please feel free to relax and do whatever you like. I have arranged rooms where you may stay the night; the guards will take you there in a few minutes." Everyone in the room left, except Samus, Shining Armor, and the princess.

"Your majesty, have you seen Cadance? I would like to explain the current situation. She may be of help." asked Shining Armor.

"Yes. She is waiting for you at her room. She looked rather impatient..." This caused the captain to give the princess a sheepish smile and a nervous laugh, and proceeded to trot away at high speed.

The Sun Princess waved him goodbye, and then turned her attention to Samus. "Would you like to finish our conversation out in the gardens? My sister did a wonderful job with the night; it's always nice to have a walk and chat in the moonlight." Celestia exited the room and Samus followed her; it's not like she had anything better to do.

OXOXO

They reached the garden in silence, just enjoying the peaceful and calm atmosphere as they did. Samus had to agree, it felt nice to just walk and enjoy the night air. While strolling through the royal gardens, she saw several statues and bushes, all beautifully arranged and decorated.

After a while, Celestia retook the unconcluded conversation. "As I was saying before, the land of Equestria came to existence thanks to the bonds of trust and friendship between the 3 tribe leaders. We actively avoid confrontation, as was evidenced by little Spike a while back. You only had to apologize for him to forgive you and give you another chance." Samus pondered at her words. She could've killed the dragon on a whim, and yet a simple 'I'm sorry' was enough for him to forgive. Did they not know of deceit? "Can you see where I'm going with this?"

"I can imagine." Samus answered and Celestia gave her a little smile.

"Trust is the founding of Equestria, and trust is the founding of friendship. You fell from the sky on a world you don't know; and you come from a world we don't know. Your intentions may be good, bad, or simply non-existent. As a ruler of this world, I ask you: Can _we_ trust _you_?" Her smile disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. Samus just looked at the pony's eyes for a second before answering flatly.

"I have no intention of bringing any harm to your land or its inhabitants."

Celestia kept studying her with her serious expression for a couple more seconds, before replacing it with a pleased smile. "I trust your word." She turned to the starry sky. "It's getting late, I'll leave you now. Feel free to roam the castle grounds as much as you like. When you desire to head to your room, ask the guards and they'll take you. Farewell!" She took off, leaving Samus alone in the moonlit gardens.

Samus walked through the garden, admiring the detailed work on the sculptures decorating the garden. She came to a statue that simply _felt_ different than the others, that of a creature made with the parts of other creatures. It had a look of pure fear in its face, accentuated by the posture it had, as if it was trying to shield itself from something. When she blinked, the terror in the statue's face was replaced by a mocking grin directed at her. The sudden change made Samus rub her eyes to prove she wasn't seeing things. She was, apparently, because when she saw the statue again it had the same expression of fear. It must be lights playing tricks, she though.

Her walk eventually took her to a small hill. She decided to lay down and watch the stars to clear her mind a little. The past days have been... _interesting_, to put it mildly. Finishing an expedition with Jayden and his team, getting blasted by Sylux (curse the stupid bastard), crashing in a land full of colorful talking ponies and getting schooled by the biggest one; and yet, nothing really seemed important right now. The only things that mattered right now were the stars. No matter where in the galaxy she might be, the stars were always the same, beautiful little dots contrasting in the dark sky. When one travels the stars, one forgets how they look like in a calm night. "Beautiful." she said to herself; she should look at the stars more often.

"It brings me joy to hear someone enjoys my night" Samus quickly rose and span to see another alicorn. This one was a dark blue, and her mane was a nightly mist. "Are you the one Celestia mentioned, who came from beyond the stars?"

"I am. Princess Luna, I presume?" the dark mare nodded "I have to hand it to you. Very few can manage to sneak up on me like that." Samus said with a cocky grin.

"I apologize. It wasn't my intention to sneak on you." her tone was low.

"It's fine." Samus dismissed. She then turned to the sky "I never realized how soothing star-gazing can be."

"Stars are beautiful, more so when you can see them alongside the moon." the last part was said with a nostalgic voice.

Samus eyed Luna, and saw sadness in her eyes. "Care to explain?"

"Due to some _actions_ on my part, my sister was forced to banish me to the moon for a thousand years."

Samus just looked at Luna with incredulity all over her face. "A thousand years? Really? How old are you?"

"I'd rather not answer." At this, a giggle escaped Luna's mouth. "I don't know why, but I like you. I feel we are very similar, you and I. Like we have..._something_ that makes us different from everypony else, but very alike between us. Don't you feel it?"

"I... don't know. I stopped bonding with others a long time ago."

"The world has changed a lot during the millennia I was on the moon." Luna began, ignoring Samus's comment. "Times are different, and I struggle to fit in. My friends... they are gone. And my social skills are... _lacking_, to say the least."

"Then I guess we really _are_ more alike than I thought." Samus said, causing an akward silence between them. They both laughed a little, before silence reigned again.

"I suggest you go to sleep. Knowing Celestia, she'll give you a big assignment tomorrow. She is like that, making other learns on their own with only a little push from her as a guide." this was said with a loving smile. "I'm really glad you like the stars. I hope to see you again soon and talk some more. Bye." Luna waved and flew away, just like her sister. Samus simply went back to watch the stars.

"Yes, that would be nice." she said to herself, before falling asleep right there.

OXOXO

Deep within the gardens, a sinister laugh echoed through the bushes and statues. A statue depicting a scared draconequus shook lightly, before a single word came from it.

"Soon."

OXOXO

Once the Sun rose, so did Samus's eyelids. She stood up and saw it was already late morning. She stretched, careful of her arm, until she felt her bones pop. Satisfied, she headed to the castle. She planned to announce her departure and head to her ship to see what else could be fixed. On her way to the castle, she saw two guards heading toward her. They appeared to be Spearhead and Iron Shield, but she wasn't sure; all the guards looked the same for some reason.

"The princess has requested that you go see her at your earliest disposition."

"Where is she?"

"We'll take you to her. Follow us."

And so she did. A quick walk later, Samus entered the castle, where 6 mares, 3 fillies, one dragon, and one white princess awaited her. When she arrived, the princess beamed with joy, her face indicated she was planning something fun for herself, not necessarily for Samus as well.

"Welcome, Samus. We have been waiting for you." The princess started "Now that you're here, I'm able to announce a decision I've made. Samus, I have decided that you should live in Ponyville and learn about our way of life. I'm sure Twilight here will be able to help, so I hereby name you Twilight's pupil!"

"**WHAT?**" yelled both the huntress and the pony scholar; one with indignation and the other with excitement. They both looked at each other, then at the princess.

"Are you crazy? / You mean it?" both said at the same time.

"You can't just make me take pony classes and expect me to like it. / Thank you for this great opportunity, princess!"

All other ponies just looked at them with different expressions. Amusement, nervousness, indignation, and annoyance were some of them.

"I have a ship I need to repair! Watching ponies frolicking is just a waste of time. / I'll do my best to make Samus learn all there is to learn about pony society."

The guards just looked at each other and shrugged. Not _all_ of the princess's decision made sense, but they always found a way to work just fine.

"The worst part is that I think you thrive in my humiliation! / I won't let down, not with this task entrusted to me!"

"SHUT UP!" both turned to see Spike, panting at his sudden outburst. Both obliged.

"Thank you, Spike" Celestia spoke again "As I said, I think learning about our way of life can be an interesting experience for you, Samus. And Twilight... well, I'm sure she is thrilled by the prospect of having her own student. To be honest, I am curious of what you have to show and tell us about your life. I'm sure having the life of a bounty hunter comes with tons of adventures. You could even tell the foals your stories!"

Resistance, Samus noticed, was futile. "Fine. I'll be your student's student. Just don't expect too many details." the princess just giggled a little.

"In that case, I bid you farewell, my little ponies. Have a pleasant travel."

They left the castle grounds and headed to Canterlot. This day was going to be a long one.

OXOXO

Who would've thought a pony-inhabited world would have a train? Samus didn't, that was certain. These ponies sure kept the surprises coming and coming. Samus was now on a seat inside a train car, thinking about her situation and how she had come to that situation. The three fillies bombarding her with questions did little to help her pondering, but what could she do? Did they ever run out of energy?

"Now now, girls. I'm sure miss Samus here has a lot on her mind. Why don't you wait until we arrive at Ponyville to ask her what you want to know?" Rarity saved Samus from further annoyance.

"But, Rarity!"

"Hush now, Sweetie Belle. You can wait a few hours." The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked down and went to their rooms. The fashionista turned to Samus "You have to forgive them. They don't mean ill, but they can be a hoofful."

"It's ok. I just have a lot on my mind, right now."

The rest of the trip was silent, ponies either asleep or reading. Samus checked her arm and was pleased to see it felt better. It'd probably heal entirely in a week; she was a fast healer. Her thoughts went from her arm to the healer that treated it. She saw Fluttershy fast asleep in her seat. She seemed a little _too_ shy for her own good. When the yellow pony discovered Samus wasn't any animal, she went from open and helpful to timid and cowardly. Still she didn't seem that bad. Perhaps with the right methods, she would open up and help Samus with the whole 'learning about ponies' thing.

The huntress then turned her attention to Rarity, the formal mare of the group. She and Fluttershy seemed to be close friends. The white unicorn had an air of elegance and beauty around her; and yet she wasn't as unbearable as the royals Samus had met. She was a royalty wannabe, but the support and love for her friends was evident; something Samus didn't find possible, until now. She would certainly be an interesting study subject, Samus mussed. However, her tendency to 'fix ugliness' would represent an annoyance to the huntress, who didn't really care about appearances.

Samus then looked at Rarity's opposite, Applejack. That was a strong pony, far stronger than her adorable exterior hinted. She seemed to be a very hard worker, and someone who took responsibility very seriously. She never took her hat off, for some reason. She also seemed to go directly to the point, something Samus could relate to. Her help and opinion in the studies would give Samus a lot of data to work with. From what Samus had seen so far, the orange pony was brave and selfless, if a bit stubborn.

Speaking of stubborn, Rainbow Dash struck Samus as odd. She was athletic and fearless, ready to jump herself at a friend's need. However, those good traits were overshadowed by that tremendous ego of hers. That and her obsession with 'awesomeness' and 'coolness' made her clash with Samus, personality wise. The soon-to-be pupil didn't looked forward to spending time with the rainbow mare. Also, she seemed like the prankster type, which took her to the pink one.

Pinkie Pie was a weird one, Samus though. Her happy-go-lucky attitude was unnerving when considering the situations she had seen. She always has a smile on her face; it was hard imagining her without it. She was also crazy. Who in their right minds would join a complete stranger in a laughing fit in front of the Captain of the Guard? And what's with the random songs? The pink pony had sang at least 6 different songs between yesterday and now. Oh, and let's not forget her ability to apparently bend reality; Samus attributed that to the pony magic. Really, what else could explain the fact that sometimes there were two Pinkies in different places at the same time? No, that pony was too lively and hyperactive for Samus's tastes.

The last pony in the group, and apparently now her mentor, was Twilight Sparkle. The lavender unicorn was a nerd, as much as Samus despised the word. She was always reading, always looking for something to learn. It was probably the reason Samus had agreed to become her pupil, because she reminded her of the Chozo. The Chozo were always trying to learn about their surroundings, much like Twilight did with her books. That pony also had great leading skill, whether she was aware of it or not. Her organizational skills, and overall thirst of knowledge, gave Samus the impression that she was the best teacher she could ask for (Not that she asked).

The group of ponies that accompanied her certainly was _unique_. Were all the ponies just as unique as them, or was this trait reserved to this specific group? That was something that was yet to be seen. Maybe, just maybe, this whole mentor/pupil thing isn't going to be too much of a drag.

"_We have arrived at Ponyville station_" sounded the voice of the conductor. Samus and her pony companions exited the train and headed to Sweet Apple Acres, from where Samus's ship was nearby. The walk was a quiet one, nopony really said much (Pinkie Pie doesn't count). Along the way, the group began dividing, each to their own home. By the time they reached the farm, only Twilight, Spike, Applejack and Applebloom remained.

"Well, ah guess we'll be seein' y'all tomorrow. Come on, Applebloom." said Applejack as she turned to her house.

"Bye Twilight! Bye Samus! Bye Spike!" Applebloom happily followed her sister.

The unicorn, dragon, and human continued their way to the crash site. Once they reach it, Samus opened the elevator/hatch in the ship and went inside, followed by Twilight and Spike.

"Good afternoon, Samus. How was your audience with this world's monarch?" Adam's voice was heard inside, causing Twilight and Spike to jump in surprise and look around, trying to find the owner of the voice.

"It was _interesting_, to say the least. The princess was a bitc... she had unorthodox methods."

"You didn't get in any trouble, did you?"

"No. And what's with you? Why so worried?"

"It just happens that without you, the repairs cannot be done."

"Gee, I missed you too."

"Excuse me, but who are you talking to? I thought you were the only one who came from outer space!" The unicorn interrupted the conversation between the huntress and the bodyless voice. Samus chuckled a little.

"Sorry. This is Adam. He is part of my ship's computer." She pointed to a screen with strange characters on it, but then noticed the confusion in Twilight's and Spike's faces. "Imagine this ship has a brain. Adam is that brain. He is not really alive; he just has artificial intelligence, and is able to talk via the speakers in my ship. I'll tell you about him later. First, I want you to tell me what you have planned for our _lessons_." Twilight's face lit with excitement.

"I don't know! There's so much to teach you that I don't know where to begin!" she practically bounced with joy. "Why don't you let me make a schedule to start your lessons? I'll see you tomorrow morning with the plan ready." Her face beamed again "It's going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah, I'm overjoyed." Her tone betrayed her words. She opened the hatch for her visitors to leave. They did. Samus then turned to her console; the repairs needed to continue. If she was lucky, the Medical Bay would be operational by tonight; and if that was the case, then goodbye arm cast! Filled with hope, Samus got to work.

* * *

**A/N: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I want to thank all of the guys/gals that reviewed. Thanks to some excellent tips, I believe this chapter ended up better than expected. Again, please don't hesitate to tell me how I can improve my writing; everyone will end up winning at the end. Reviews, suggestions, tips; everything is welcome and encouraged! **


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Lessons Begin  
**

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 014:_

_I have crashed in a land filled with magical ponies. Absurd as it sounds, they are intelligent beings. They have treated me with openness and kindness, but taking necessary precautions. I have met their rulers, and they seem to keep their kingdom happy. Such level of respect and devotion from their subjects is something I have never seen before. I have been given the task of recollecting data and information about their way of life. I am now the student of one of the ponies. This assignment promises to be an interesting one.  
_

OXOXO

Samus woke up in her seat. She had no luck in repairing the Medical Bay, or any other system, for that matter. Maybe the boosters could be repaired, but Samus didn't count on it. Without a working fission reactor, the ship could not active its auto-repair system and it would be impossible to fly. She would have to think of another way to fix the systems, or find something that could substitute a fission reactor. The problem was what and where. The good thing was that her arm pained her less and less. She had partial movement of her arm, a feat done by the little healing properties of the Zero Suit, which somewhat accelerated her already fast recovery. She discarded her cast.

"Good morning, Samus. Are you ready to start your days as student?" asked Adam.

"Shut up."

"Just like your academy days."

Samus turned her attention to the windshield and saw Twilight eager to start the day. She opened the hatch and exited her ship.

"Good to see my _new student_ ready to start her day! I hope my _new student_ does a great job learning about us ponies. The best place for my _new student_ to start her assignment is Ponyville. Ready, _new student_?" Twilight seemed to enjoy every nanosecond of this; unlike Samus, who would rather search for substitute materials for her ship. Twilight was about to say something else, but was cut off.

"Say 'new student' again and I'll break your neck." Samus said in an unnervingly calm voice.

"Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a temper. Anyways, let's get started. As I said before, we should head to Ponyville and introduce you to everypony so they don't freak out when they see you." It made sense; Samus was yet to be officially introduced to this planet's dominant species. Mass panic would surely hinder her tasks.

"Makes sense, I guess. Shall we?" they both headed to the small town. They were heading to the town square, where an announcement from the mayor would warn all the ponies of Samus's presence. As they walked, they couldn't help but notice every pony stared at Samus, some with surprise and others with fear, but none of them made a big deal about it, except Lily, who fainted after yelling 'THE HORROR!'. Twilight gave sheepish smiles to any pony that saw them. It wasn't until they reached their destination that they met with the Mayor.

"Oh, you must be Samus." the Mayor looked a little nervous, but her voice hid it well. "The princess sent me a letter notifying me about your arrival. I will make the announcement as soon as everypony arrives at the town hall. It is a pleasure to finally meet you officially." she extended her hoof, which Samus gladly shook.

It only took about half an hour for the whole town to be present. The Mayor went up to her podium and everypony went silent, but when Twilight and Samus appeared on stage, murmurs were beginning to be heard from the audience. The Mayor kept her calm demeanor, Samus looked unimpressed, and Twilight grew nervous. The Mayor then cleared her throat.

"Citizens of Ponyville, as the Mayor of this town, I am pleased to announce we have new resident in town. This is Samus; she is a 'human'." Samus took a step forward so all the citizens could get a better look. "As you can see, she is not from around here. She comes from a far away land, and has been asked by Princess Celestia herself to learn about our way of life. I would like to ask of you that you make her feel at home in our friendly, little town. Now, Samus, would you like to say some words?" The Mayor took step to the side to allow Samus on the podium. Samus took up on her offer.

"Thank you, Mayor. As the Mayor said, I am on a mission to learn and report about the life of ponies in this town. I hope this experience is one we can all enjoy." All the ponies began cheering and stomping on the ground with their front hooves. Samus looked at them, not knowing what to do. Twilight approached her and whispered something to her ear.

"Uh... That's how we cheer."

"You mean like an applause?" Samus whispered back.

"A what?"

"Forget it." Samus turned to the audience once again "Thank you, thank you. By the way, do any of you know where I can get a fission reactor?" It didn't hurt to ask. Dead silence was her answer. "I guess not. Thank you for your help and hospitality; I hope not to intrude in your peaceful town." With that, she bowed and left the podium, and the ponies dispersed and returned to their activities. Twilight approached Samus and congratulated her on her little speech. The unicorn then levitated a scroll containing a checklist with her magic.

"Well, that went a lot better than expected." Twilight checked an item on the list. "Now that the ponies of Ponyville know you, it's time for the next thing in our schedule: a tour around town!"

OXOXO

"This is Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack's farm." Twilight began "This is where all the apples and some other food products are harvested. It is Ponyville's main food source. You will find all kind of apple treats here. They makes apple pie, apple fritters, sweet apples, caramel apples, apple juice, apple cider, baked apples, apple jam..."

"I get it! You pony folks like apples. Let's move on." yelled an annoyed Samus.

"Ok, ok. Don't get so angry. Oh, hey! There comes Applejack!" And indeed, the cowgirl pony was heading their way. She was carrying two baskets.

"Howdy Twi, Samus! What brings ya to the farm?"

"Hello, Applejack. I was just taking Samus on a tour around town. Are you finished for the day?"

"Nah, ah just need to buck those trees over there and we're done!"

Applejack then proceeded to place the basket under the tree's branches, and with a powerful double kick from her hind legs, struck the tree. The force of the impact made the apples fall in the baskets, and yet the tree suffered no apparent damage. It was a strange method, but it was effective; not a single apple was left in the tree. Samus watched with mild awe as the orange pony worked her way with the rest of the trees; not a single apple fell outside the baskets.

"Whew! That's done. Jus' let me take these apples to the barn and ah'll give ya a tour of the farm."

"Here, let me help you." offered Samus. She picked a basket with her good arm and used her waist as support.

"Thanks, sugarcube."

The 2 strong girls carried the apples to the nearby barn, where they deposited them. After they were done, Applejack began the little tour. They headed for a hill, which was covered in apples trees for as far as the eye could see.

"These are the apple orchards. We of the Apple family take great pride in our apple growing business. We have been growing apples for as long as we can remember."

"Wow. That must be a lot of work." Samus's fascination only grew.

"Oh, it is. But we love to harvest apples! Ah got mah cutie mark thanks to them!" Applejack showed her flank. Samus raised her eyebrow at this statement.

"Cutie mark?" Samus questioned. Twilight was quick to give a little explanation.

"Yes. We ponies have marks in our flanks that show our special talent. Mine is magic, and Applejack's is growing apples." Samus then noticed that the marks she thought were tattoos. So those were their cutie marks, huh? "I'll teach you about them when we reach the library."

They continued their tour, Applejack showing them the barns, their house, the pigs' pen; until they arrived at the corn fields, where they spotted Big Mac pulling his plow.

"Hey there, Big Mac! You almost done?" greeted Applejack as she waved to her brother. Big Mac turned his attention to them.

"Eeyup." he said simply. He then noticed Samus and his expression went from calm and relaxed to apprehensive and tense. His mere gaze was enough to give the message 'What is she doing here? She may be dangerous'. Apparently, only Samus noticed his slight change.

"That's mah brother, Big Macintosh. We call him 'Big Mac'. He's the farm most hard-working member." introduced Applejack, oblivious to the tension between farmer and huntress. "And this is Samus. She was sent here by the princess to learn about us pony folk. She's a little hotheaded, but a nice girl."

As soon as the hat-wearing pony said this, Big Mac relaxed, and his calm demeanor returned. He bowed his head to Samus, as in acknowledging the introduction. Samus simply waved her hand. The red guy wasn't the biggest talker, that much was obvious, but he seemed nice. He must really trust his sister and the princess, Samus noted. The princess's words echoed in her head; trust really was the base of these ponies' relationships.

The tour concluded and they reached the Apple house, where the same old, green elder sat in her rocking chair. Unlike the red stallion's initial reaction, Granny Smith smiled warmly at Samus when she spotted her.

"And who's that? Another guest? That's nice... that's nice..." she fell asleep on her chair and began snoring.

"That's Granny Smith. She's the most loving pony you'll ever meet; and she's the best apple pie baker in the whole Equestria! But she ain't young no more. She likes to nap a lot." said Applejack as she and her visitors entered the house. "Care for some apple juice?" Samus accepted her offer and Applejack brought a carton with juice. She served them in glasses with straws, and all 3 girls began to drink.

"Oh, wow. This is really good!" Samus praised. When you travel in a spaceship for most of your life, fresh juice is not something you can enjoy every day; and this was just delicious!

"Ah'm glad ya like it!"

"Delicious as always, Applejack." Twilight began "I thank you for your hospitality, but I'm afraid we must go. There's still a lot to show to Samus."

"Sure thing, Twi. Ah'll see you two later."

Twilight and Samus left the farm and headed to town, directly to their next destination.

OXOXO

The next noticeable place in town was the Carousel Boutique, Twilight said, where ponies ordered dresses. Which was kind of stupid, Samus thought, since the only pieces of clothing she had seen on ponies were the armor of the guards, the princesses' crowns, and Applejack's hat. How did ponies wear dresses, anyway? They entered the boutique, and a little bell chimed when they did.

Samus's question was answered when they entered the shop. Looking around, Samus saw several pony-shaped mannequins (ponnequins?) with dresses on them. Some finished and quite pretty, other looked like they were works on progress. While Samus was never a big fashion enthusiast, she couldn't help but admire some of the designs. Little after they arrived, Rarity came from another room.

"Hello. Welcome to the Carou... Oh, Twilight! What a surprise! And Samus, too! Would you like a cup of tea?" Rarity was wearing her red glasses, which made her look a lot more like a true designer.

"I'm fine." Twilight answered "What about you, Samus?"

"I think I'll take your offer. Let's see what tea tastes like here."

"Very well, I shall bring your tea in a minute. Meanwhile, why don't you browse a little and tell me what you like. I may even make a dress for you, Samus! A real challenge." Rarity squealed "And you'll have to let me try something on that hair of yours. Don't take me wrong, but that's probably the dirtiest hair I've ever seen." the comment didn't bother Samus. Gunships weren't precisely known for having showers.

"You don't say. The closest I have to a shower is a sterilizing chamber." Samus commented. That comment, however, brought a look of horror to Rarity's face.

"NO SHOWERS? HOW CAN YOU LIVE LIKE THAT?" Rarity panicked. Then threw away her glasses and began pushing Samus out of her boutique.

"Where are you taking me?" asked a confused Samus.

"And dare you ask where? To the spa, of course! I know you are not a pony, but I'm sure they'll make an excellent job with you. Their baths are simply marvelous." Rarity said as she continued to push an unwilling Samus.

"Sorry, but I can't right now. I'm busy."

"Nonsense. You can never be too busy for a little washing up."

"Wait!" Twilight stopped the fashion pony in her tracks. "We still have a lot to do. Why don't you take her later?"

"Hmm... Well, tomorrow is my weekly meet up with Fluttershy... Fine, I'll let you go. BUT, you have to promise you'll come with us tomorrow. Both of you."

"I don't really think..."

"Promise it!"

"Fine. We'll go to the spa with you tomorrow."

"Oh, great! I'll tell Fluttershy tomorrow. Have a nice day, darlings." Rarity entered her shop, leaving Twilight and Samus to continue their tour.

When they began walking, a shadow began following them. With years of experience in combat and ambushes, Samus quickly span around, but saw nothing following them.

"Are you ok?" asked a confused Twilight.

"Yes. I just thought I saw something... And I didn't drink my tea."

OXOXO

Both students continued their way to Sugarcube Corner, the town's bakery. When they arrived, they were greeted by Pinkie Pie. The energetic pony invited them inside and offered some treats to her guests. Since Samus had nothing to eat for breakfast, she accepted the offer. Pinkie Pie brought a tray with a mountain of cookies. Samus waited for no one and began eating.

"These are good!" said Samus with a full mouth. She swallowed.

"Of course they are good! They're Pinkie Pie's Special Cookies. And I can make a lot more sweets, like cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, candy..." Pinkie Pie began rambling again. She got tuned out by Samus, who continued wolfing down her cookies. After a little while, the cookies were gone. Samus noticed Pinkie Pie grinning at her, which made her a little nervous.

"More?"

"Umm... No thanks."

"Okie dokie! I'm glad you liked them. Feel free to come for more if you want!" Pinkie Pie couldn't stop bouncing.

"Sure..."

"Please, come back later! No, seriously, you need to come at 7:00 pm this afternoon." Samus raised her eyebrow at the weird request. The look on the pink pony's face left no room for negative answers.

"I'll try to be here..." Samus backed away slowly. Twilight saw she had finished her cookies.

"Samus! We still need to finish the tour. Hurry up, we have to go!"

"On it." Samus ran to exit the bakery. Once Samus and Twilight were outside, Pinkie Pie peeked her head.

"7:00 pm., don't forget!" yelled Pinkie at the fleeing girls.

OXOXO

They were heading to the town's hospital. Samus needed to know where to seek medical attention, just in case. As they were walking, Samus couldn't help but express herself.

"Your pink friend is crazy." she said flatly. Twilight sighed.

"Yeah, she is. But you get used to her." she gave a little chuckle "Just wait until you hear about her 'Pinkie Sense'. Random parts of her body act up, like her tail twitching or her ear flopping, and stuff happens, like something falls on you or you find something. It's really weird."

Samus shrugged. "Not really. That kind of makes sense, what with your pony magic and all."

"Oh, Pinkie Pie is an earth pony; she doesn't have any magic." Samus's eye twitched a little.

"She can't use magic?"

"No. Why?"

"No reason." A chill traveled Samus's body.

They eventually reached the hospital, where Nurse Redheart greeted them. The medical pony gave them a tour of the hospital, showing Samus some of the equipment used. While explaining, the nurse grabbed Samu's injured arm to show the X-ray machine. This, of course, caused pain to the huntress; her arm was better, but not entirely healed yet.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I didn't know you arm was injured. Here, let me help you." using the same tool she was about to show, Nurse Redheart quickly found what was wrong with the human arm. "It looks like you have some minor fractures in your arm. It seems it has healed somewhat, but not completely. If you heal as fast as us, then it'll be fine in a few days. I suggest no pressure on it and plenty of rest."

"Yeah, I figured." Samus answered; she already knew all of this.

"I'm sorry, but that's my job as nurse: I check injuries, no matter how small. Come back in a few days, I'd like to see how that arm of yours fares. Oh, and I don't know if you can take painkillers..." Samus's eyes lit up; pain wasn't nice.

"Yes, I can."

"Then let me bring you some. I know how frustrating fractured bones can be." the nurse went to fetch some painkillers for the huntress.

When the nurse returned, she handed Samus the pills and continued the tour. Samus made a mental note to come check the equipment more profusely some other time; maybe even compare her equipment with the hospital's. The tour finished, and human and unicorn left the hospital.

Once outside, Samus stopped suddenly. Twilight turned to ask why, but Samus beat her to it.

"We are being followed." Twilight looked around, but saw no one else; they were alone.

"Are you sure?" the unicorn sounded uncertain.

"Yes. It's probably nothing; if their intention was to attack, they've had plenty of chances. I suggest we continue our way. If something hostile jumps out..." she patted her Paralyzer "...I'll deal with it." Twilight nodded her agreement, and both continued their way.

OXOXO

Behind the bushes at the entrance of the hospital, three little forms could be seen hiding from the human's searching eyes. They stood one on top of the other two, mimicking the bush's silhouette.

"Wow! She's good! We'll never get our ninja cutie marks with her around. It's like she can sense us or something!" complimented/complained an impressed Scootaloo.

"Yeah, and you making noise won't help us hide, either." Applebloom said.

"I still don't know why can't just go and ask her directly." Sweetie Belle complained.

"You know, I didn't really think of that." That said, the 3 fillies lost their balance and fell on each other. They grunted a little and rubbed their heads. "Hey, look! No tree sap!"

OXOXO

The rest of the tour consisted in visiting other shops and noticeable places in town. Their last stop was Ponyville's library, and Twilight's home. They were greeted by Spike, who was cleaning up Twilight's mess.

"At last! Do you even know how much of a mess you leave every time?" complained Spike. "Oh, you brought Samus!"

"Well, yeah. She is _my student_, after all." Twilight beamed with pride. Samus gave an annoyed grunt. "Well, now that we're here, why don't we continue our talk on cutie marks?"

"Yeah, that actually piqued my interest."

"Good. As I said before, a cutie mark is something that is unique in each pony. It's what makes us special and differentiates us from the rest. A cutie mark will appear when a pony has discovered her or his special talent; and said mark will most likely resemble something related to the pony's special talent." Twilight was talking in a teacher-like voice. Samus actually found it interesting, if a bit silly. Twilight continued "As you saw before, 3 apples make Applejack's cutie mark, meaning her talent is related to apples. Mine is a star, or sparkle, which relates to my ability with magic. A flower cutie mark would mean the pony is adept at taking care of flowers, for example. I assume you humans have no such marks?"

"No, we don't. I have to admit having a cutie mark does seem very efficient. You seem proud of them."

"Yes, we are! Until now, there hasn't been a pony that openly dislikes her or his cutie mark. And obtaining it fills you with pride and accomplishment." Twilight had a nostalgic look, which was soon replaced with a serious one. "Spike! Could you bring some books on pony anatomy, please? Samus will need to read a lot of these books if she wants to do a good job learning about us. Now..." she turned to the huntress as the dragon made a salute and went to look for the books "...I'll fetch you some books I want you to read. They will be helpful in your studies."

"I don't think that'll be possible" said Samus, eying a tome in her hand.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't read your books."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't read your books." Samus repeated.

"You don't know how to read?" Twilight panicked. How was that even possible? Samus looked like such a promising student, too.

"I know how to read. But I can't read your books because they aren't written in any language I know. The only reason I can understand you is because of this translator." She pointed to the device in her ear. "But don't worry, give me a couple of days and that won't be a problem anymore. I'll be able to read as soon as my arm is healed."

"How so? You read with your arm?" asked Twilight. Samus grinned and answered with a vague response.

"Not exactly, but I _am_ full of surprises. You'll see."

"Right. Well, in that case..." the unicorn was interrupted by a knock on her door. "Who could that be?" She went to open the door and invite her visitor in. She was surprised to see 3 little fillies waiting at her doorstep.

"Hi, Twilight!" the 3 said in unison. They all had a big grin in their faces.

"Hi, girls. What brings you here?"

"We're here to ask Samus a favor!" answered Sweetie Belle. The ponies entered and saw Samus. "Samus! Could you do us a favor?" Samus looked mildly surprised at their request.

"What kind of favor?"

"To let us take you and show you to our whole classroom! Tomorrow is show-and-tell day and we want to show them an alien!" Scootaloo answered. Her energy and excitement were very noticeable.

"Hey! That's a great idea! Since Samus can't read my books right now, she can go to school with you girls!" Twilight grinned at Samus, who responded with a death glare.

"Oh, hell no!"

"Oh, hay yes. I'm the teacher and you're the student. So, as the student, you will go to school tomorrow. It's part of your task. And since you can't read, you shall learn the same way these little fillies learn: by going to school." Twilight's tone left no room for arguing. Unable to counter that argument, Samus could do nothing but comply to her method.

"Fine, but be warned: I shall seek _revenge_."

"Revenge will be sought **after** you attend tomorrow's class at Ponyville's School." Twilight then giggled "Imagine all the things you will learn! I'm sure you will have a lot of fun."

"I'm out. I'll be in my ship if anyone needs me." Samus stormed out of the library, but was being followed by a cream-colored, red maned filly.

"But ya'll go with us tomorrow, right?" Samus turned to see the speaker, and found pleading puppy eyes in an adorably hopeful filly face.

"Yes, I will" She had already said 'yes'; those puppy eyes had nothing to do with her decision. Really.

"Great! Ah'll go get you tomorrow morning. Ya won't regret it!" the filly returned to the library. Samus gave a defeated sigh and returned to her ship. First the princess and now her student; what was with them and humiliating Samus? But they shall see. They **will** see.

OXOXO

As soon as Samus entered her ship, Adam made himself known.

"You have an appointment at 7:00 pm in Sugarcube Corner. I recommend you assist." Samus had a very surprised look on her face.

"How do you know that?"

"The pink pony, Pinkie Pie, took the trouble to come and inform me about it. She was eager to make sure you would attend."

"HOW DID SHE EVEN GET HERE?" Samus began yelling.

"I'm unable to answer."

"What?"

"There were no security breaches and no alarm went off. She simply materialized before my optical sensors and told me you have an appointment at 7:00 pm in 'Sugarcube Corner'. According to this planets time, it is 6:28:62 pm. I suggest you attend this event. I do not recommend angering the pink mare."

Samus opened the hatch and left, not saying anything. She made her way to the bakery; not once did her face changed from that 'what-the-hell-just-happened' expression. When she arrived, it was approximately 7 pm, she guessed. When she entered the room, everything was dark. Suddenly, the room lit up and a large group of ponies jumped from their various hiding places. There were the mares from before, the fillies, and whole lot of different ponies gathered.

"SURPRISE! WELC..." they all yelled in unison, being led by the crazy pink pony. The sound of glass breaking violently was heard before they could finish screaming their welcoming sentence. They all turned their attention to the broken window; through which Samus could be seen outside, aiming her weapon at the window, breathing heavily, and with a look of fright and surprise in her face.

"Perhaps it was too much of a surprise?" said Pinkie Pie with a sheepish smile.

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**A/N: Again, thank you all for all the reviews! Keep them coming! I never imagined humiliating Samus could be so fun! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And remember: request and ideas welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.

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**Chapter 5: A day in Ponyville**

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 015:_

_It is a little unnerving just how much these ponies trust complete strangers. I was invited to a party, welcoming me to their town. I was also forced to attend school. While it may seem like a humiliating experience, I am actually quite intrigued. Besides, what better way to learn about this world than in a school? Today's studies will observe a normal day in a pony's life. I can't help but wonder: How different are these ponies' lives than those of humans'?_

OXOXO

Today was the day, Samus thought; she will go to school, along with who-knows-how-many foals. Samus scolded herself for feeling nervous; what was she, a little girl scared for her first day at school, full with strangers? Sadly, that was more or less the truth.

NO! She wasn't a helpless little girl. She was a strong and grown woman on a mission to gather intelligence and information regarding the lifestyle of this unknown planet. She was investigating and learning about other life forms, just like her Chozo caretakers and Jayden and his team would do. With newfound resolve, Samus exited her ship and waited for Applebloom's arrival.

Since she was going to the spa later today, Samus opted to remove her Zero Suit and wear 'normal clothes', consisting of an orange tank top and blue shorts. If she had to remove any clothing, might as well be something easy to remove; her Zero Suit could be a pain to take off. Not that she had a lot of clothes, bounty hunting didn't require it. Her hair kept the same style, though.

She was early, it seemed; the sun had just began rising. With a little free time before class, Samus checked her arm. It seemed fine; with a little pain only when she did certain movements. If she kept that recovery rate, she'd be completely healed by tomorrow, she calculated. Once her arm was checked, Samus proceeded to do some flexes and acrobatics. This place was peaceful, but she didn't really want to be out of shape if anything bad happened. And knowing her luck, something would, eventually.

But not today, she hoped. Applebloom arrived and saw Samus performing a backflip. Her eyes widened at the show, but more at seeing Samus missing some skin.

"What happened to you?" Applebloom sounded worried. Samus stopped her little training and turned to her.

"What do you mean?"

"You skin! It's different, and you're wearing clothes!" It took some seconds for Samus to understand what she meant.

"Oh, you mean my Zero Suit? That's not my skin, it's just a suit I wear when piloting my ship."

"So you don't have blue skin?"

"No."

"Oh... Okay, then. Let's go!"

And so they did. I wasn't long before they were joined by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The rest of the trip was spent by the fillies asking question, to which Samus would answer with 'Wait until class'. Before long, the school was in sight, and butterflies made themselves known in Samus's stomach. She gulped, but her resolution quickly returned.

"Well, we're here."

She followed the 3 fillies to just outside their classroom, where at least 9 different fillies and colts were seated. In front of the classroom was a large blackboard with what Samus could swear was an equation for quantum physics. The 3 fillies took their seats with their fellow students. Her attention quickly went to the older pony, the teacher. She was a fuchsia pony with a lighter purple mane, and her cutie mark consisted of 3 smiling flowers. When the teacher spotted Samus, a look of surprise found its way to her face, but left just as quickly, replaced by a happy one. She exited the classroom to speak with Samus.

"Miss Samus, was it? I'm glad you showed up. Today's class shall be very interesting. I'm Miss Cheerilee, and I am the teacher." she introduced. "I'm sorry, but we are out of chairs. Would you mind sitting on the floor?"

"No problem."

"Oh, thank goodness. I was told by Twilight Sparkle that you would be attending class for a few days. I can only say 'Welcome to Ponyville's Elementary School!'"

"Thank you."

"Now please, come on in. Class will begin shortly."

When they entered the room, all the little ponies stopped whatever they were doing and looked at Samus with a little fear. The dead silence reigned until Miss Cheerilee spoke to her class.

"Now, class, today is a very special day because Miss Samus here will be joining us. I expect you be in your best behavior." the class was still in silence, but the fear was gone, replaced by curiosity. Cheerilee continued "Since she is new, I'll allow her to tell us something about herself first, and then we shall proceed with class. Today is show-and-tell day, so I hope you all brought something to share!" She went to her desk and sat down, leaving Samus in front of the class.

"Uh... Hello, my name is Samus. I was given the assignment of studying the pony lifestyle by Celestia..." this caused some murmurs like 'she's important', and 'she didn't say princess'. Still, she carried on "I'm a human, a creature I don't think exists here. I was flying my spaceship when something malfunctioned and I crashed here." This time the students 'ooh'-ed. "So, yeah. Nice to meet you all." That said, Samus went to the corner of the classroom and leaned on the wall.

All the little foals began bombarding Samus with questions and more questions. But, before she could answer any of them (or give any kind of response), Miss Cheerilee silenced them to start the class.

The class today would consist on the different types of ponies. Cheerilee explained the different types of ponies there was. Pegasi, who were identifiable for their wings, could fly and control the clouds and the weather; and were the only ponies that could stand on clouds without the aid of spells or tools. Unicorns were able to use their magical horns to do magic that somehow related to their special talents and jobs. Most of them had developed telekinesis, so they rarely used their hooves or mouth to manipulate things. Earth ponies had neither wings nor magic, but they had more physical strength and endurance than their winged or horned counterparts. Also, they seemed to do a lot better at growing plants than either Pegasi or Unicorns for some reason; Cheerilee mentioned something about them being closer to the earth, hence the term. She also mentioned Alicorns, who shared all the previous' traits: they were bigger then most ponies, and had both horn and wings. They also had a lot more magic than the average Unicorn, and their wing were more powerful than the normal Pegasus. However, they were extremely rare; so far only three Alicorns were known, although Cheerilee said she was sure there were more.

The class then proceeded to the show-and-tell part. Most foals showed a toy or drawing they did, and explain why that made them happy, or how that was their family's pride. One of the fillies, Diamond Tiara or something, who was a lilac-and-white-maned, pink filly, showed off some gems, which her 'daddy' bought for her. Samus could quickly identify her as a 'daddy's girl' kind of filly. After all the little ones showed their stuff, it was the 3 fillies' turn. They didn't hesitate to grab and pull Samus to the front of the class again. Scootaloo was the first to speak.

"Behold the unique and mysterious human! We found her when her flying spaceship crashed on our fair land..."

"Actually, mah brother found 'er" interrupted Applebloom.

"Yeah, but we helped him carry her to the barn!" Samus rolled her eyes at the orange filly's story. "It was there that she woke up and tried to eat us! But Rainbow Dash was able to subdue her!"

"It was Fluttershy." this time Sweetie Belle interjected "And she didn't try to eat us."

"Yeah, but Rainbow Dash was there!"

"I suspect there's admiration for the rainbow egomaniac?" Samus asked the other crusaders. They nodded.

"Hey! She's not... whatever it is you said. She is the coolest pony ever!"

"Yeah, so cool I outmaneuvered her with a broken arm." Samus said in a cocky tone. All the class gasped. Scootaloo gasped harder, her idol's reputation was in danger.

"You did not!"

"Ask her. See what she tells you." Scootaloo hesitated for a bit, before shaking her head and continuing.

"Whatever! The point is the Cutie Mark Crusaders, that's us..." she said to Samus while pointing at Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and herself. "...befriended an alien monster from space!"

"..."

"It makes sense, doesn't it? That the blank flank outcasts befriend an alien outcast." said one of the fillies. Samus noted it was the rich brat, Diamond Tiara.

"Wow, and I thought Admiral Dane had a sharp mouth." began Samus, talking to the tiara-wearing filly. "You know, kid, you really shouldn't talk like that to strangers, much less sentient creatures you don't know. You never know when said creatures might want to eat you for making them mad." Samus said. She licked her lips, as if expecting a feast, and then gave the filly a feral grin, which made Diamond Tiara cower in fear.

"Now now, kids. Miss Samus is just joking; no need to alarm. But she's right, Diamond Tiara. It's not nice saying rude things to other ponies, or creatures... Apologize now." intervened Cheerilee.

"But, Miss Cheerilee!" whined the pink filly.

"No buts. Apologize to our guest. Now." her tone was firm.

"Yes Miss Cheerilee." Diamond Tiara turned to the huntress, but her tone was filled with spite "I'm sorry I was being rude. It won't happen again."

"Whatever..." Samus shrugged, and quickly dismissed Diamond Tiara. She was glared venom by the spoiled brat.

Soon after, the bell rang, indicating class was over, and everypony (and human) went outside. All foals went to play with their friends or toward their homes, and Samus went to a nearby tree and sat down to relax a bit. She was interrupted by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, more specifically, Scootaloo.

"What do you think you're doing? We're going to find Rainbow Dash and ask her if you really beat her."

"Can't you do it yourself?" Samus was visibly annoyed by the filly.

"Scared?" Scootaloo said with a taunting tone. It failed.

"Not really, just not in the mood." sighed Samus. She wasn't lying, she was a bit tired.

"Oh, come on! I want to see some action" Scootaloo said while making some boxing motions.

"Sorry." Samus rose and left "Maybe later, if I feel like it."

"Hey! Come back!" yelled Scootaloo, but her words fell on deaf ears; Samus was gone."I'll show you. Nopony ridicules Rainbow Dash."

OXOXO

Samus found herself relaxing in a big tub with hot water. She was accompanied by Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight, who had decided to join her in her spa treatment and hoping to have a 'girls talk' with her. Sadly, said 'talk' was very awkward because Samus wasn't the chatty type. The fact that Fluttershy was cowering behind her mane and whispering instead of talking didn't help. So far, the bath consisted on Rarity and Twilight asking Samus's life and getting vague, if somewhat satisfying, answers, and Fluttershy giving Samus curious glances at Samus's breasts and quickly turning away. Samus took notice of this, but had remained quiet. That is, until the 15th or 16th time.

"Is there something on my chest, or do you have something you want to ask?" Samus asked the shy mare. Fluttershy cowered behind her mane again, blushing. This little question brought Twilight's and Rarity's attention.

"Say..." began Twilight, as if reading Fluttershy's mind "...you are a girl, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I was just wondering, are those your mammary glands? Why are they so big? Are you expecting or something?" Samus looked at her with a neutral expression, before answering her.

"No. That's just human anatomy." Her tone requested a change of topic.

"Oh, well, that's very interesting." began Rarity "But have you ever..." she was interrupted when Rainbow Dash entered the spa, ignoring the employees' protest. She seemed to be looking for something. When she spotted Samus, she flew right to her face.

"Hey! I heard you wanted to fight 'the Dash'. Well, here I am. You think you can beat me? Then you're up for... a..." began the rainbow pony, until she gave a better looks at her surroundings. "What are you doing in the spa? I thought you were a tough bounty hunter, not a sissy little princess!" she then proceeded fall to the ground and laugh. Samus sighed and leaned her head back and closed her eyes, intent on returning to her relaxation. Said relaxation didn't come when Rarity spoke again.

"Rainbow Dash! That's rude behavior. Why don't you join us instead? It feels wonderful, I tell you. I'm sure a nice, hot bath will do wonders on those tense muscles of yours." Rainbow Dash stopped laughing and looked at Rarity as if she had grown two heads.

"WHAT?! Me? In a lame spa bath? Sorry, got better things to do. Besides, I came to challenge Samus. I have a reputation to keep. My _fans_ are eager to see me kick flank."

"Tough luck." said Samus without interrupting her relaxed posture.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not in the mood to fight right now."

"Scared? Come on! Let's go at it! Right here, right now!"

Samus groaned loudly "Tomorrow. I'll let you prepare for tomorrow. I suggest you do, because I have no mercy in fights." Samus looked deep into Rainbow Dash's eyes, intimidating the mare a little. "Meet me in outside my ship at 8 a.m." she leaned her head back again "Feel free to bring an audience."

"We have a date, then. I'll look forward to it." Rainbow Dash recovered her enthusiasm and courage. "Just don't be sore loser." And she went away.

"Why are you two so intent on fighting? That's barbaric, if you ask me." complained Rarity. Twilight and Fluttershy showed their agreement by nodding. Samus simply gave a little smirk before answering.

"In my line of work you see many things. Each creature has a way of defending and attacking. To be honest, I'm curious to see what kind of fighter Rainbow Dash is."

"I understand your curiosity, but please don't underestimate Rainbow. She's a natural athlete, and probably the best flyer in Equestria. She even stood up to a dragon! She know how to handle herself." Twilight warned, seeing how confident Samus was on her abilities.

"Don't worry, I never underestimate my opponents."

OXOXO

The next morning, Samus was warming up outside her ship, waiting for her opponent to arrive. Yesterday's hot bath had worked wonders on her muscles; she couldn't remember the last time her body felt so relaxed, and her muscles were no longer tense. Her arm had completely healed by now, so she could equip her Power Suit any time she wanted. She decided against it, however, because this was a friendly match; besides, it had been ages since she last fought hand-to-hand combat (or hand-to-hoof, in this case), what with her enemies using plasma rifles and whatnot, and she kind of missed it.

Everything was calm around her; the skies were clear of clouds, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the grass rustled along with it. Samus took a deep breath and prepared for her upcoming fight. Not much later, ponies started coming. One by one, the Elements of Harmony and Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived, along with Big Mac, who looked calm and indifferent. They all took their place near Samus's ship, some eager, others not-so-much, to watch the match. The last to come was the challenger: Rainbow Dash.

The pony and the human stood across each other, silently evaluating their opponent. Finally, after some tense minutes, Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Let's see what a pirate hunter can do against Equestria's best flyer." Rainbow Dash had a confident grin on her face; she was sure this fight was hers. Samus, on the other hand, stood silently, waiting for her foe to make the first move; she first had to see what Rainbow Dash was capable of.

Pinkie Pie got between the two of them and started talking through a megaphone. "Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to Ponyville's first, and probably only, friendly fight between two of its residents! Or is it one resident and one guest? Come to think of it, doesn't Rainbow live in Cloudsdlae? Does that make it two guests? Hmm... Well, these two fighters will fight to determine who is the fightiest of fighty fighters! Medical attention will be given to any injury after the fight by our veterinarian Fluttershy." At this Fluttershy shrank a little. "Are the combatants ready? FIGHT!" Pinkie Pie gave a small jump while moving her foreleg in a chopping motion, then got away as quickly as possible, taking her spot between Applejack and Fluttershy and materializing a bag of popcorn.

The speed at which Rainbow Dash rushed to Samus was, to put it mildly, astonishing. Samus, used to dodging bullets, barely had time to jump to her side to avoid the powerful tackle; the pony was a lot faster than she appeared. With a quick roll, Samus was back on her feet, but again had to jump out of the way. Apparently, not only was Rainbow Dash fast as lightning, but extremely agile as well.

Rainbow Dash changed tactics some seconds after missing for the fourth time; she had to admit Samus's reflexes were even better than her own. Tackling wasn't working, so she instead opted for a double back kick. She dashed toward Samus, only to stop inches before her to turn around and attack; the change of attack would certainly catch Samus off guard.

It didn't. As soon as Rainbow turned to kick Samus, the huntress did a front somersault, going over Rainbow Dash, and punched her on the left side of her head. The punch stunned the pegasus long enough for Samus to land and quickly deliver a strong roundhouse to her side. The force threw Rainbow to the ground, but didn't knock her out. Samus attempted to stomp Rainbow, but she quickly jumped out of the way and up to the skies.

Rainbow Dash hovered out of Samus's reach, trying to determine the best course of action. And what else would that be if not to charge recklessly at the human? She dashed toward Samus at breakneck speed to punch (kick?) her with her forelegs, but the huntress was more agile than she seemed; she dodged her again. Another try was proven futile, as Samus not only dodged the attack, but threw herself back to the ground and kicked Rainbow Dash in the stomach. The kick knocked the air out of the pony, but she still managed to get to the air. So far, none of her attack had connected, and she had been hit more than twice!

Rainbow Dash was, Samus concluded, a lousy fighter. She had all the speed and power to pose a threat, but she was too reckless. Her attacks were easy to follow once she adjusted to her speed, and she also left herself open to counterattacks. When the flying mare dived for her again, Samus simply sidestepped and punched her in the gut _hard_. The blow messed Dash's coordination and she crashed to the ground. She attempted to get up, but Samus did a front somersault to perform a powered up axe kick, which Rainbow dash couldn't avoid.

Seeing her opponent down, Samus approached the fallen mare to deliver the final blow. She raised her fist and was about to bring it down when she felt a sharp pain in the top of her head. The pain was followed by a rock falling from Samus's head. She looked up to see what hit her, but she lost all focus and only managed to see a green blur, then she saw black and passed out.

OXOXO

With a groan, Samus opened her eyes. She was reclined on a tree, and she was surrounded by the ponies that helped her earlier. The first thing she saw was an apologetic-looking tortoise on her lap; it even offered her an apple (she refused). As she looked around, she saw the six mares that took care of her, the three fillies, the big red stallion, and the baby dragon.

"Oh, she's coming around! Thank goodness." Fluttershy seemed to taking care of her. Again. Rainbow Dash wasted no time to get in front of Samus to start explaining.

"I guess I need to apologize. Tank can get a little overprotective of me sometimes." she motioned to the tortoise; who, Samus noticed, had pilot goggles on his head and a propeller attached to his shell. The tortoise simply bowed his head slowly, as in to apologize again. "I wasn't expecting him to drop a rock on you. Heh, but that's why I love him so much!" Rainbow Dash grabbed Tank and cuddled him before realizing they were not alone. She quickly put him on the ground and continued talking. "Um, yeah... But whatever! You were the one that blacked out first, so that makes me the winner."

"Whoa, there, nelly. Wasn't it supposed to be one-on-one? You got lucky Tank came to your rescue." intervened Applejack. "Besides, you were getting your flank kicked all over." she added with a mocking grin.

"What!? No way! Besides, we never said we couldn't receive help." countered Rainbow Dash. She was obviously desperate to be called the winner.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo added.

"They're right." conceded Samus. "We never specified the rules. And it was my mistake; I should've been able to tell I was being attacked from above." She wasn't lying; if that would've been a real battle, she could be dead, all because she wasn't careful enough.

"That's the attitude of a veteran fighter. I have to say I'm impressed." said a new voice. Everypony, human, and dragon turned to see who was talking. It was none other than Iron Shield, one of the guards that escorted Samus to see the princess. "I saw the whole thing. Your reflexes are the best I've seen; not everypony can keep up with Rainbow Dash."

"What are you doing here?" Samus asked a bit rudely.

"Straight to the point, eh? I've been sent by the princess to watch over you. I'll be staying in Ponyville, if you ever need me"

"Watch over me, or make sure I don't hurt anyone?"

"Watch over you. I know how difficult it can be to adapt to a new lifestyle, especially to you, considering your circumstances. The princess just wants to make sure everything is fine, and to tell you that if you ever need help, I am here to assist you."

"Well, thank you. For now, I'll head back to my ship. There are repairs to be done." that said, Samus left to her ship. Soon after, everypony left to their respective homes.

OXOXO

Iron Shield entered a dark room. He was walking when a voice was heard. "So? How did it go? You do think she'll be useful to our cause?"

Iron Shield frowned. "I'm not sure. She's an excellent battler, but I can't confirm her usefulness. I need to see what else she's capable of. As far as I can see, Samus can't do magic, nor can she fly. She's strong, and her reflexes are the best I've seen, but I doubt that alone can be of help in our situation."

"Hmm... Perhaps more observation is required." the voice proposed.

"Yes. I suggest we keep an eye on her. Who knows, maybe she'll surprise us."

"Very well. You are dismissed, Lieutenant Iron Shield. Return to Ponyville and report to me if you see anything else."

"As you wish, your highness." Iron Shield kneeled before he exited the room. The voice was left talking alone.

"Samus... I believe you have a lot more to show us than what you let on."

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**A/N: I apologize for the wait, and more so for the fact that you will have to expect more delaying; I get down easily and it gets in the way of writing. While I'm proud of the plot (no pun intended) I have planned for this story, I can't say the same for its presentation. Especially this chapter. Two months trying to write it and editing it, and it still wasn't good in my eye. The previous chapter practically wrote themselves, but this naughty chapter made me pull my hair in frustration! Anyways, special thanks to all who review and followed; it really motivate me to continue writing. Also thanks to the Shinesparkers, whose music was incredibly useful for motivating purposes. I suggest you check their album, it's free and awesome.**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.

**A/N: Yeah, it turns out the correct name is Apple Bloom, not Applebloom. No big deal.  
**

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**Chapter 6: The Power Suit**

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 016:_

_I fought one of the ponies. While it is clear their kind avoids conflict, I am under the impression that they know how to defend themselves. I also need to be on the look-out; I suspect something is amiss with Iron Shield's presence, something that somehow involves me. I have no reason to distrust him, but I can never be too careful._

OXOXO

Saturday, the best day of the week. There was no school to go to, and you could stay up as long as you want (without getting caught). It also meant getting up as late as you wanted. Not that Apple Bloom did; she was up early in the morning to help with farm chores. Today she had worked extra hard and extra fast, just so she could go and do what she had planned to do: invite Samus to an Apple Family-brand apple-based breakfast!

Apple Bloom had just finished her duties and was on her way to the crash site, where Samus was no doubt working on her ship. As she kept on walking, she could identify the transport/home of the alien huntress. She could hear the sound of tinkering coming from the back of the ship, so she decided to go investigate what it was. She was about to ask if Samus was there, but a big piece of machinery fell from the ship. It would've squashed Apple Bloom like a bug if it were not for the fact that she jumped out of the way on time. She looked up to see what happened, and she saw an orange metal monster destroying Samus's ship!

"Hey! Watch it, pal. You wouldn't like to face the owner of this ship if she saw you destroying her property." yelled the small filly at the offender, who apparently hadn't noticed her presence until then. It then jumped from its perch on the ship and landed in front of Apple Bloom.

The being seemed to be made of a orange, yellow, and red metal with one thin glowing green line along each of the legs and arms. The shoulders were large and rounded with three ridges along the top. It's lower right arm just after where the elbow ended, was longer and thicker than the left, and was a shade of greyish green. Instead of a hand though, the right arm ended in some kind cannon like shape. It's head was a red dome with a single green eye that seemed to glow, it also seemed to be missing a mouth, ears, and a nose. It had two tubes coming out from where its mouth was supposed to be that went to the back of its head.

The monster turned to see her. The filly could see her reflection on the monster's eye, which was intimidating. And then, it spoke. But instead of a deep and scary voice, it was a slightly echoed and distorted voice that resembled Samus's.

"Good morning. Sorry I didn't notice you, I was busy with repairs. What brings you here?"

In a bright flash, all the metal and glass eyes disappeared, leaving behind a Zero-Suit-wearing female human.

"Samus?" asked the filly. She was surprised to see such a scary monster was actually her human friend. "I thought that monster was destroying your ship! I didn't know you could transform into a robot!"

"That was my Power Suit. I always wear it in my missions and exploration."

"Wow! That's amazing!" the filly beamed, then frowned in confusion "Why didn't you wear it when you fought Rainbow Dash?"

"I didn't want to hurt her too bad. The suit is extremely powerful."

"Well, it's good to know you know restraint. Anyway, Ah came to invite you for breakfast. Have you eaten yet?"

"No. I think I'll accept that offer."

"That's great! Follow me; the farm isn't too far away." The filly happily trotted on her way to the farm; it was easy to see she was excited. Samus just followed her with a small smile on her face.

OXOXO

*BURP*

"Sorry, but I haven't eaten that well since... I can't remember" said Samus as she patted her somewhat bloated belly. Anything that could be made with or from apples was served at the table. Samus had a feast like she never had; and who was she to reject such hospitality? "It was delicious. I thank you for your hospitality."

"Ah'm glad yah liked it, honey." said a proud Granny Smith, the main cook.

"No problem! An Apple _never_ holds back at breakfast, so we expect the same from ahr guests!" Applejack responded.

"Ah told yah Granny Smith's cooking was the best!" added the energetic Apple Bloom.

"Eeyup."

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Twilight's. Study and all that stuff." said Samus.

"No problem. Say 'hi' to the bookworm for me, will yah?"

"Sure thing." Samus lifted herself from the table. When she opened the door to leave, she spotted a giant three-headed black dog running toward Ponyville; it didn't look too happy. She returned inside and asked calmly. "Are giant three-headed dogs a normal sight here?"

"Uh, no. Wait! Three-headed dog? As in Cerberus? What in tarnation is he doing here? Come on, we hafta get to town!" without losing any more time, Applejack rushed past Samus. The huntress followed without hesitation.

"Stay here." Big Mac said to his youngest sister. "They got this."

"Aww. Ah wanna go too..."

OXOXO

Both Samus and Applejack ran to Povyville, where the giant beast was headed, as fast as they could. Samus noticed that for a town with a giant dog running loose, the villagers were not as panicky as she would expect; in fact, the seemed almost oblivious to the looming threat. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie materialized between Samus and Applejack.

"Oh hi! Did you come here to pet Cerberus? Too bad, he only lets Fluttershy pet him. Ooh! You should come see her; it's like watching a shy pony petting a monster. Oh, silly me, that's because it _is_ a shy pony petting a monster. Anyways, you should come!" and disappeared just as fast as she appeared. Samus and Applejack looked at each other and shrugged, then proceeded to the town's square, where dog noises were coming from.

True to Pinkie's word, the scene was a bit bizarre to Samus, who wasn't overly familiar with Fluttershy's ways: the shy pegasus was rubbing the monstrous dog's belly while said dog wiggled its foot on the ground in delight. Twilight was nearby, but she didn't seem as relaxed as the other ponies; in fact, she looked quite distressed. Samus approached the lavender unicorn.

"I'm new here. Care to explain why there is a giant, three-headed dog acting like a happy puppy in the middle of town?"

"That's what I'm _trying_ to find out! This is bad! Really bad! Cerberus is supposed to be guarding the Gates of Tartarus! Why is he here?" Twilight continued to walk in circles, trying to think. Samus decided to ask Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, what's going on? Isn't the dog supposed to be guarding something?" Samus asked the yellow pegasus with an annoyed voice.

"Oh, um that's because..." she stopped to think a bit and then turned to Cerberus "Not that I mind, but, um, why are you here?" The pleasant expression on all three heads changes to that of anger. He stood up on all four legs and began to bark. Fluttershy hovered in front of the heads.

"Mhmm. Yes. Continue. Oh my!" Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Cerberus says that two evil creature escaped Tartarus. He tracked one of them here." Upon realizing what that meant, all ponies within hearing distance panicked. Only Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack remained calm (as calm can be for Twilight).

"Oh no. This is terrible! What kind of creature escaped? We need a plan to prepare for an attack! I should probably call the princess. SPIKE!"

While Twilight planned a strategy, two skeletal talons slowly rose from Cerberus's shadow without anyone noticing. When they were positioned one beside each left and right head, the talons grabbed their respective head and forcefully slammed them with the center head. The triple headbutt was enough for the guardian dog to fall unconscious. Everyone turned their attention to the boney limbs coming from the shadow. Samus noticed the shadow was unnatural. Then, a big figure rose from that same shadow. As the mysterious body rose, the shadow shrank; it was logical to assume the creature was the shadow. When the shadow was no more, Samus saw that the creature floated in the air, as it apparently lacked legs. It was a tall being, covered with a dusty black robe and hood that hid its head, arms and torso, revealing only the long skeletal talons it had for hands. The robe that covered it ended in a smoky black cloud, as if was made of smoke.

Without a second to waste, orange, yellow and red armor covered Samus in a flash. Everypony who saw her stood catatonic. "Whoa, nelly..." That is, until the spectral being let out an ear-piercing screech. Twilight recovered her movements and began yelling orders.

"Pinkie Pie, I need you to go fetch Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and... Where is Fluttershy? Spike, you send a letter to the princess immediately, there's no time to lose. Applejack and Samus, you two distract it while I go to the library to find out about what that creature is." Twilight and Spike rushed toward the library, while Pinkie Pie galloped toward town. Samus and Applejack stood where they were, ready to fight. Or at least, that's what Applejack thought.

"Stand back." ordered Samus.

"What?! You think ah'll stand aside and let that monster destroy Ponyville?" replied Applejack, offended by the assumption.

"Yes. I have a lot of experience with big creatures. Now stand back."

"The nerve..." the hat-wearing pony got shoved aside by Samus, and noticed the creature had attempted to crush her with its massive talons.

"I told you to go. Help protect the villagers if thing get out of hand." Applejack simply nodded and left.

Samus distanced herself and activated her Scan Visor. It took a few seconds of dodging claws and swipes to scan the creature; and when it did, the results weren't too encouraging.

**"Shadow Reaper: A creature able to merge with and transform into shadow. Life signs were unable to be read, but it seems to live on life energy it sucks from prey it finds worthy."**

Upon reading the scan results, Samus charged her Arm Cannon, aimed, and fired. The shot connected, and the Reaper recoiled from the force of the shot, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Its attention, however, focused on the bounty hunter. It lunged toward Samus, swiping with its sharp skeletal talons. Samus saw this coming and dodged. She fired a few more shots, all ineffective.

While the hunter and specter fought, Applejack went around town to help ponies escape the violent confrontation. Her herding skill came in handy to round the ponies up and lead them to safety. Once she saw no more ponies in danger, Applejack rushed to the fight scene once again.

After dodging another swipe, Samus changed her Power Beam for the Wave Beam and shot twice. The creature tried to avoid the electrical projectiles, but it didn't count on their homing properties, receiving both shots on the chest. They seemed to do nothing, since the beast seemed unfazed by the Wave Beam. Samus opted for the Plasma Beam, so with a quick change in her Arm Cannon, she fired again. The creature saw this, and quickly rushed to the ground, where it became an unnatural shadow. The shadow moved erratically on the ground, trying to confuse Samus. It briefly worked; the huntress lost sight of it and saw no more shadows.

Instinct, however, took control over Samus, who jumped sideways just as a bony fist crashed where she had just been. She quickly spun around and aimed, but the Reaper was already going for the shadows again. This tactic gave Samus an idea: if the creature used shadows, light-based weaponry may be most effective against it. Needless to say, her cannon was set for the Light Beam.

The Shadow Reaper moved its shadow until it was below Samus's. She saw this and attempted to jump out of the way, but a talon grabbed her foot, keeping her in place. With the other talon, the shade dweller forcefully punched the hunter. The blow sent her flying onto a house, where she left an indentation on the wall. Shaking the cobwebs from her mind, Samus raised her vision in time to see and avoid an incoming fist.

Acting quickly, Samus got out of the way, aimed, and fired her Light Beam several times on the cloaked creature. The damage done was visible; the Reaper caught on white fire and thrashed about, trying to extinguish the light-based flames. After a while, the fire had consumed the cloak, and the creature was revealed: a big skeleton that resembled an anthropomorphic antelope, but it had two rows of sharp teeth and lacked the back legs. It also had spikes on it back, and black smoke came from its empty eye sockets.

The creature rose to the air, steaming with the afterburn of the beam. It gave a loud screech, obviously furious, and charged at Samus at high speed. She rolled to the side and fired at it again. The Reaper dodged and spun so fast it gave Samus no time to react at the backslap she received. The attack threw her to the ground; she was down, but not out.

The floating skeleton prepared to charge again, but was stopped when an apple hit it hard on the head. It turned to see its attacker and found an orange pony with a hat, ready to buck more apples from a pile. "Come get some, yah ugly vermin'." It roared and charged at the pony. This gave Samus enough time to charge her Light Beam.

The creature swiped at Applejack, but she barely managed to duck and avoid the sharp claws. She gulped when the creature slammed its fists on her apples, destroying her projectiles. The skeleton raised its arms to attack again, but Samus jumped and landed on its back. Before the creature could react, Samus unleashed the Sunburst at point-blank range. The damage caused was great; the creature fell to the ground. It tried to rise, but a large blob of very dark purple energy forcefully slammed it back to the ground, from where it no longer moved.

"Zank you. I'll take it from here." said a male, echoed voice. Samus and Applejack turned to see another skeleton, except this one was that of an alicorn. He was tall as Celestia, with a long, boney horn, and he lacked any kind of flesh. He only had two small pink dots of magical energy serving as pupils in his otherwise empty eye sockets. He was wearing black pieces of armor on his chest, forelegs, wings, and a Roman helmet on his head, not unlike those of the Royal Guards. "I appreciate ze help. I'm Bonez, gatekeeper of Tartarus. Pleazure to make your acquaintance." Bonez bowed to the two blonde girls. Samus aimed her cannon at him, but she was paralyzed with the same dark purple energy that took the Shadow Reaper down.

"Relax, girl. I'm on your zide. A couple of beasts escaped Tartarus and I'm here to return zem, but you zeem to have everyzing under control. Zank you for doing my job. I vill zimply return zis pest back to Tartarus and be on my way." His magical grip on Samus began weakening, so he released her. "My,my, you are an interesting one. No wonder you attracted zis parasite; Shadow Reapers hunt for strong prey because zose are ze ones viz more energy to steal. Now, if you'll excuze me..." Bonez was interrupted when Twilight arrived with Spike on her back, as well as the rest of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

"What just happened here?!" yelled Twilight when she saw the scene before her.

"Ah! You must be ze Elements of Harmony! It'z an honor to officially meet you all. My name iz Bonez, Gatekeeper of Tartarus, and Cerberus's mazter; vich reminds me..." Bonez walked toward the unconscious form of Cerberus and began poking him with his horn. The Elemets just looked at each other, confused. "Wake up, you lazy bag of flesh. Ve ztill have a job to do." said pet rose up groggily, until all three heads saw Bonez, then Fluttershy. He immediately turned on its back and prompted Fluttershy to come near.

Fluttershy obliged with a smile and began rubbing his belly again. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?" she said with her baby voice. Cerberus just relished the loving gesture.

"Vould you look at that. Big and scary Cerberus iz actually big softy. I have to zay I'm imprezzed, mizz. Azide from me and my brozer, nopony haz been able to tame Cerberus. I hope he vasn't a nuisance to your fair town." Bonez complimented the shy mare. She squeaked and hid behind her mane.

"Forgive her, she's shy. And what are you, anyway?" asked Rainbow Dash, eying the talking pony skeleton. Bonez was about to answer, but was interrupted by Twilight.

"Look! Princess Celestia is coming!" yelled Twilight. And indeed it was Princess Celestia who came flying and landed beside Twilight.

"Twilight, I came as soon as I got your letter. What happened here?" Princess Celestia watched the scene with anxiety, until she saw the pony skeleton. "Bonez?"

"A pleazure to zee you again, Celestia."

"Bonez! What a pleasant surprise! It's been ages! Trouble with the gates, I presume?"

"Literally ages. Ha ha. Yah, zomezing made ze creatures in Tartarus uneasy. And as you can see, a couple of zem escaped. Vorry not, zese ponies made my job already, and Skullz is tracking down ze ozer one."

"That's a relief. We can't have ancient evils running around." Celestia said with an unnerving calm. She turned to the Elements. "I would like you to meet Bonez."

"Already have! Ha ha. Vell, it's been a pleazure meeting you all, but zis troublemaker haz to go back to Tartarus." Bonez said pointing at the Shadow Reaper. "Farewell." Bonez lit his horn with dark energy and a black portal opened on the ground below the unmoving Reaper, swallowing it. Cerberus and Bonez stood on it and disappeared along with the monster.

After they disappeared and the portal closed, every one present stood silent. A few moments passed before the silence was broken.

"What was _that_ all about?" Twilight asked.

"That was Bonez. He's an old friend of mine. It's his duty to guard Tartarus and capture any evil creature that escapes; though it is extremely rare for that to happen. He has a brother named Skullz that helps him with that job. Now..." she turned to Samus, who was still wearing her Power Suit. Everypony followed their gaze at the human. "I think I have to thank you for saving Ponyville from a dangerous creature. I'm also impressed, not everypony can survive an encounter with a Shadow Reaper, much less defeat it. Care to explain how you manage to defeat one of the most dangerous creatures in existence?"

"Who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked the armored warrior.

"Oh silly, that's Samus! " answered Pinkie Pie.

"WHAT?! Wasn't she supposed to be smaller and not metallic?"

"Well duh! She's just wearing a suit!"

"True." said Samus. She deactivated her Power Suit, revealing her human form. This calmed the nerves on all the present.

"Cool!" commented Rainbow Dash.

"I knew it was you. It seems you really _are_ a veteran warrior." Princess Celestia said. "Is there any way to repay you for what you've done?"

"I want money." Samus answered. All ponies and dragon, with the exception of Celestia, gasped loudly. "What? As a bounty hunter, my services aren't free. They're quite expensive, actually."

"I see. Name your price and you shall be rewarded."

"Give me enough for a week worth of food and some other small luxuries. I'm still not familiar with this place's currency."

"A fine deal. You shall get your money before sundown."

"But Princess!" interjected Twilight.

"Hush now, Twilight. It's only fair. Besides, a few bits are nothing compared to the well-being of my subjects."

"Yes, princess. Sorry."

"Good. Now, Samus, I'll have Iron Shield deliver your payment this afternoon."

"Excellent. But I have a question. Not that I needed any more help, but where was he? Isn't he a guard, supposed to serve and protect?" Samus inquired. It was a valid question, the town folks were in danger and he was nowhere to be seen.

"He was called to Canterlot. There were urgent matters and he was needed there. Don't worry about him." answered the sun princess.

"Right." was Samus's only answer. She knew Celestia was hiding something, but prying with her subjects present would only cause trouble. She opted to let thing go their course; she needed more information before acting.

"Now, if there are no more matters to discuss, I'll take my leave. They need me in Canterlot." with that, the princess took off.

"Well, everything seems fine, so I'm out." said Rainbow Dash before dashing off to some cloud.

"And ah'm gonna fetch the townsfolk. Their homes are safe an' sound." Applejack exited the scene as well. So did Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, leaving Samus with Twilight and Spike.

"Now that's everything's in order again, we can continue with our studies. Follow me." Twilight led Samus to the library. Samus sighed and followed.

"Wait for me!" Spike ran after them.

OXOXO

"I told you to _read_ those books, not just give them a peek and throw them aside!" Twilight complained to the armored woman sitting in the library's reading table, which was full of books of all sorts. "And why are you still wearing that armor?"

Samus gave an audible sigh before answering; it was obvious she was annoyed. "I keep telling you that I _did_ read them. And without the armor, I wouldn't be able to read at all; I need the suit's translator to do it. Maybe if you _listened_ instead of reading the same book over and over again, you'd understand what I'm saying."

"I'm not reading it over and over! I just take my time to read."

"It's been four hours! Four hours and you haven't even finished half of it?!"

"Well sorry for not being able to read 4000 words per minute. Besides, this piece requires deep detail attention..."

"It's 4200 words per minute. And you said it was a sappy romance novel. How much 'deep detail attention' could that require?" Twilight blushed at the question.

"It has a deep and complex setting! And stop arguing; you're supposed to be reading about ponies!"

"And how do you expect me to do that if you KEEP ARGUING?!"

"I'm going out." informed a very annoyed Spike said with a very annoyed expression. He was completely ignored. "Girls: crazy on their own, crazier with company..." He exited the library, leaving behind the two arguing females.

"NOW SHUT UP AND CONTINUE READING!"

"I WILL WHEN **YOU** SHUT UP!"

OXOXO

A pink explosion boomed in a forest somewhere, leaving behind a cloud of smoke. The smoke slowly began dissipating, revealing the broken and battered form of a snow-white bird, with a curved sharp beak, four wings, and a long flowing tail; the bird would look regal, were it not for the fact that it was badly burnt. It was a Frostwing, a bird roughly the size of an average pony, whose feathers are made of ice. Tales say these evil birds would swoop down and snatch ponies, and proceed to freeze them with the chilly winds they produced with their frozen wings to eat them.

This particular Frostwing had just escaped the dreaded depths of Tartarus, but had the bad luck of encountering one of the most magical unicorns in Equestria. This unicorn was an azure coated mare, with platinum mane and tail, a horn, and a triumphant smile. Trixie stood nearby, panting, but a victorious grin plastered on her sweaty face. The dark forest gave her face a sinister expression.

"Hah! You have faced defeat. You were certainly powerful, but not powerful enough to hope to best Trixie. Trixie is yet to be defeated by the likes of you. Trixie would pity you, but it is clear you didn't come in friendly terms. Trixie hopes you have learned your lesson." boasted the showmare, garbed in a dark purple cloak on her back.

"I hope zo too. Zis bastard has been giving me trouble zince its escape." said a tall pony with horn and wings, or rather, the skeleton of a pony. "I zank you, ma'am, for your trouble and help."

Trixie turned to see who spoke, and yelped when she saw a living skeleton wearing dark red armor approaching her. It had small, green orbs of light for irises where its eyes should be. All in all, it was the armor-wearing skeleton of an alicorn. "W-who are you? What business do you have with Trixie?"

"Pleaze, forgive me for my rudenezz. My name iz Skullz, guardian of the Gates of Tartarus. Zurely you've heard of Tartarus?" inquired Skullz.

"Of course. Trixie likes to think she is well read." said the mare, eyeing the skeletal being.

"Zen you vill know zat Tartarus holds ze most dangerouz and evil creaturez in Equestria prisonerz. It iz vit no zmall amount of awe zat I tell you I'm imprezzed. Even I have difficulty keeping zome of zem under control, yet you battle a Frostwing and not only live to tell ze ztory, but end victorious in zaid battle. You have my respect, ma'am." Skullz bowed to Trixie. "Now, I have to take zis bastard back from vhere it came. I bid you farewell."

"Wait. You say this bird escaped. How, exactly, did that happen? Trixie feels a great amount of power coming from you, so she assumes you are a most powerful magician. How could somepony as powerful as you let a petty bird escape?"

"I humbly appreciate your complimentz, ma'am." Skullz bowed again "Yah. My brozer and I, az vell az our partner Cerberus, pride ourselvez in our abilitiez and zkills az guardianz, az vell az our vatchful eyez... zo to zpeak. Ze reazon zis bastard escaped vas becauze of a disturbance. A Shadow Reaper uzed zis opportunity to escape, and vhile busy with it, ze Frostwing also ezcaped."

"A Sh-shadow Reaper?!" panicked Trixie.

"Pleaze vorry not. My brozer is vith Cerberus hunting it down. Zey should be enough to return it to Tartarus. Just like I should vith zis one." he said, pointing at the unmoving Frostwing. "I shall take my leave. It vas nice talking to you. Farevell." And just like his brother, he summoned a black portal that took swallowed him and the fallen beast. Trixie was left alone when the portal closed.

"Trixie shall be on her way, then." she said to nopony in particular. She walked to where she left her saddlebags, from where she took out a map and read it. "That way." she continued her quest for the meteor.

OXOXO

"Your highness, I bring news." said Iron Shield as he galloped with hurry into a dark room. There was a hawk perched on his back. "There has been another incident. I'm afraid we can't stall for much longer; we must make our move soon!"

"I am well aware of that, Lieutenant." answered the voice. There was a brief silence, but it was broken by the voice again. "What about Samus, have you managed to gather any new information on her?"

"Yes, my lady. According to Looker..." the hawk cawed "...she was able to defeat a Shadow Reaper without much difficulty."

"A Shadow Reaper?! How did a Shadow Reaper got to Ponyville?"

"It appears it escaped when her ship crashed. But there is no need to worry about that. It has been returned to Tartarus. It was, after all, defeated by the hunter."

"That's good to hear. Another threat of that level is the least we need now" there was another brief silence "It appears Samus is a lot more powerful then she first let on. Do you happen to know how she managed to best the shadowy fiend?"

"Looker reports that she is able to summon some sort of magic armor. This armor has powerful weapons, which she used to overpower the fiend. He also said she has instincts and reflexes of the like we have never seen. She is very quick-minded, cunning, and clever. I also have the regret of informing she suspects something; she may be onto us soon."

"Hmm... I do think that was inevitable. She does seem to distrust everypony. Do you have any more news for me?"

"Yes, your majesty. I will return to Ponyville. Princess Celestia has ordered me to deliver a payment. It was requested by the hunter."

"Well, she's not shy. Thank you for your help, Lieutenant. You may leave. I shall call for you if I require your assistance."

"Yes, your highness. I shall take my leave." Iron Shield bowed again and left the room.

"You're proving to be quite the spectacle, Samus." the voice said to no one in particular. "I'm curious to see that armor in action."

* * *

**A/N: What a difference. Unlike the last chapter, this one practically wrote itself. I like how this one ended up looking, though I think I still need a little more practice with battle scenes. Any advice is welcome! As are reviews! Let me know what you think, and don't be afraid of requests. Just try to keep them within the possibilities of the story. **

**Special thanks to Sypher14, who helped me a lot with the Power Suit's description (I literally copy-pasted his words). The guy/gal knows how to write!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot (as in story).

* * *

**Chapter 7: The use for a bounty hunter**

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 017:_

_Studies are coming along nicely. Twilight may not be too agreeable, but her knowledge is undeniable. She reminds me of the Chozo, always looking for things to learn about. I hope things continue to go well._

OXOXO

Samus rose from her chair and deactivated her suit. She stretched and flexed a bit, popping her bones back in place (or at least that's what she felt). The study session had been long. Very long. She arrived at midday; it was now dark outside. Samus thanked Twilight and left for her ship. The trip back was uneventful, so she made it in little time.

Once Samus reached her destination, she realized she wasn't as tired as she thought. She climbed on top of her ship, where she lied down on her back and began gazing at the stars. Her mind came to one of Twilight's books. 'Starswirl the Bearded'... That was a funny name.

Her thoughts went from books to society. Samus knew little about ancient human history, but what she did know could be reflected on pony society. Some customs and traditions were simply ponyfied versions of their human counterparts. Hearts and Hooves Day replaced St. Valentine's Day, Hearth Warming's Eve could be called ponies' Christmas; and Nightmare Night was Halloween with ponies.

Nightmare Night.

Nightmare Night made Samus think of Luna. She was a nice mare, someone she could identify herself with; at least somewhat from her little interaction with her. She also thought how she was imprisoned and why. What she read about Nightmare Moon did seem a bit farfetched. But then again, she _read_ it; it means the information on the book was from a panicked or probably misinformed commoner. Samus decided she would ask Luna for her part of the story if she ever saw her again.

She guessed they really were alike, now that she thought about it; they both had their inner (or outer) demons. Dark Samus was one of the few enemies that actually filled Samus with dread; and while it could be considered another being, Samus knew it was born from her own suit and DNA. To fight yourself, your corrupted self... It was horrible. More so for Luna, Samus thought, because Luna and Nightmare Moon were one and the same. She couldn't imagine the struggle she must've fought.

"You seem to really enjoy the stars." Samus turned to see Luna flying toward her. Speak of the devil. "May I join you?"

"Sure." Samus shrugged. She actually kind of wanted to see Luna.

The moon princess landed beside Samus and sat down. There was brief moment of silence, the two looking up to the stars. Luna spoke first. "I heard you saved Ponyville from a Shadow Reaper. I imagine it was a difficult battle?"

"I've faced worse." said Samus while looking at the stars.

"I imagine you've had a difficult life." Luna didn't look at Samus either.

Samus shrugged, then turned to face Luna "What about you? Turning to Nightmare Moon, being banished, trying to adapt again... "

"How do you know this?"

"Twilight. She made me read."

"Oh... Right."

After another moment of silence, Samus decided to ask. "How do you do it?"

Luna sighed and closed her eyes; she knew what Samus meant. "One step at a time. I remember everything being Nightmare Moon, all the horrible things I did. But, you need to forgive yourself before you expect to be forgiven by anypony else. It wasn't easy; guilt made the ordeal even harder. It was thanks to Celestia that I eventually forgave myself. After that, I just tried to come to terms that things had changed, that the way to treat our subjects changed. Equestria was very different a thousand years ago, but I see it changed for the better."

"That's good to hear, I guess."

"Thank you." Lunsa said gratefully, before her tone changed to apologetic. "By the way, I have to apologize."

Samus raised her eyebrow. "What for?"

"Spying on you. Iron Shield has kept his watchful eye on you under my orders." Luna seemed genuinely ashamed. Samus showed no emotion at all.

"I understand. Why trust a complete stranger, right?" Luna gave a little giggle at her response.

"That's not it. Celestia said she trusted you, and so do I. The reason we were spying on you was to see if you could help us. We... need your assistance."

"Hmm?"

"We have a... mission, if you will. Details will be given in Canterlot, if you choose to accept. Do you?"

Samus considered her response for a few seconds before answering. "Yes. Just don't forget my payment."

"Oh, thank you so much." Luna said happily. She then turned to gaze at the stars again, and so did Samus. Silence reigned yet again.

Luna glanced at Samus briefly, and her smile disappeared when she saw the solemn expression on Samus's face. She considered something to say to cheer her up but ultimately failed, so she decided to ask what was on her mind. "Do you miss your home?"

Samus was a bit taken aback by the question, but she quickly composed herself. "We are sitting on my home." she answered somberly.

"Oh..."

"I'm going to sleep. Good night." without giving a chance for a response, Samus leapt from her perch to the ground and entered her ship; Luna was left alone. Feeling sorry for the hunter, the moon princess returned home.

Home...

OXOXO

Samus woke up early. She wasted no time in equipping her Power Suit and exited the ship. She ordered Adam to inform any visitor that she was going to Canterlot for a mission on the princesses' request. Once outside, she began running, and before long she activated her Speed Booster.

Not fully confident in her knowledge of the geography of the lands, she followed the train tracks. It took her a while, but she eventually neared the capital city. Wanting to avoid the city, Samus reached Canterlot Castle via the city outskirts once the city was on sight.

She was greeted by Iron Shield at the gates. "Samus, I presume. That armor makes you look menacing." He turned and motioned for her to follow. They entered the castle. "I was expecting you to arrive later. Did you not sleep?" Samus didn't answer. "Right... This way please. The princesses weren't expecting you until later, so they don't have the counseling room ready yet." They kept walking through the castle. "I'll go and inform the princesses of your arrival."

"That won't be necessary, Lieutenant." said Princess Celestia, who just entered the hall they were walking on. "Please come, my sister and I are ready to discuss your mission. You should also come, Lieutenant." Iron Shield bowed, and he and Samus followed the princess.

They arrived at the counseling room. The room was brightly lit and it had a big round table, two big cushions for the princesses, and several small chairs surrounding the table. One of the cushions was occupied by Luna, and Celestia quickly took the other one. Sitting on the chair around the table were Shining Armor and Spearhead, who looked unimpressed at the armored woman. Samus and Iron Shield also took a seat to begin the meeting.

"You already know Captain Shining Armor and Lieutenants Iron Shield and Spearhead, I presume. And you met my sister already, if I'm not mistaken" Celestia began, her tone was businesslike. Samus nodded. "We have asked you to come because we have a problem in our hooves. A problem you seem more than qualified to help solve."

"If I may, your majesty, I still don't see why we need her help. My guards and I are more than ready to move out." said Shining Armor with a hint of discomfort in his voice. Spearhead nodded in approval.

"Need I remind you of our last attempt, captain? Your guards simply aren't trained for this kind of situation. Miss Aran, on the other hoof, appears to be more experienced for this mission. And if Iron Shield's report is anything to go by, she will prove to be a valuable asset to your team."

"I... I understand, your highness. I'm sorry for the interruption." Shining Armor bowed.

"Good. Now Samus, since you're here you'll receive your promised payment after your complete this request. Needless to say, it will include your reward for both this mission and your fight in Ponyville." Celestia stopped to look at Samus. Seeing no response, she continued. "There have been numerous pony disappearances; we believe they have been abducted. While we lack any real proof, we suspect it is the Changeling's doing. You will be part of a five-member squad, commanded by Lieutenant Spearhead, and your mission is to bring these ponies back to Canterlot safely if possible. In case you confirm their..." Celestia looked hesitant "...deaths, you will inform me. You will be given a list of the missing ponies. Do you accept this mission?"

Celestia looked expectantly at Samus, who simply nodded her head.

"You shall leave tomorrow before sunrise." Luna spoke this time. "You will be given information regarding changelings and what you may expect. Remember, though, that this is all speculation; we have not confirmed the involvement of changelings, but there have been sightings of them. Your squad will investigate the Everfree Forest. We have sent other teams to search in other places, but we've had nothing so far. I warn you, the Everfree Forest is a very dangerous place."

"Please don't worry about us, princess. We have taken the more than the required precautions." said Spearhead. He looked a bit nervous, but had a strong and brave front.

"I'm sure you have, Lieutenant, but I can't help but worry." She turned to Samus again. "Now, follow me please, Samus. You need to meet your other teammates." Luna rose from her seat. Before exiting the room, she turned to Celestia. "You have done enough, sister. I'll take care of the rest." She exited and Samus followed.

They walked outside, toward the training grounds, where Samus noticed several guards doing some exercises. The guards stopped what they were doing and bowed to the princess, and she responded with a nod; Samus paid them no heed. They kept walking until they reached a small arena. Some guards were fighting there, probably training. When they noticed Luna, they immediately bowed.

"Greetings, royal guards. I have come here to ask you to inform miss Samus here about our current problems. I also need you to start knowing each other, because tomorrow some of you will be accompanying her on her mission." Luna spoke out loud. All guards present responded with a 'Yes, your majesty' and a bow. "Good. I'll leave her in your hooves." Luna left, leaving Samus with the guards.

One of the guards that were fighting approached her, and in a cocky tone, said "We will be going on an important mission tomorrow, so we don't want you slowing us down. Do you have what it takes?"

Samus looked around and spotted a large rock. She shot a missile and blew it to smithereens. Then she looked back at the guard, who was left flabbergasted. "Just make sure _you_ don't slow _me_ down."

The guards began gathering around Samus when they saw her display of power, but before long, a voice caught their attention. "All right, stallions, the gal has power, get over it." Spearhead approached the group of guards and human. He had a saddlebag on his back. "Here. These are the pictures of the missing ponies, as well as all the data we have on changelings." he took some papers from the saddlebag and gave them to Samus. "I suggest you give a look to those. I also suggest you acquaint yourself with the ponies that will accompany us on our mission. Those would be those three over there." He pointed toward another arena, where three armored stallions stood on hold. "They will come with us to the forest. Don't be too cocky or stupid, and they won't have a problem with you. That will be all. We'll arrive at your ship tomorrow at 0600 hours and depart to the forest from there. Be ready."

Samus watched Spearhead leave the grounds and decided to meet the ponies he talked about. As she walked toward the arena, the rest of the guards resumed their training. When she got there, the three armored guards saluted her.

"I've been told you will be my teammates." Samus said flatly.

"Yes, ma'am. Hope to be of service." said one of them, a light gray earth pony. "I am Land Scout".

"Boomer" said the same-colored unicorn.

"Cloud Zapper" the white pegasus introduced himself.

"Samus." said the hunter. "See you tomorrow."

She turned to leave, but was stopped by Cloud Zapper. "That's it? 'I'm Samus. Bye'?"

"I need to prepare. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am..." sarcastically replied the pegasus.

The stallions saluted and trotted away. Samus watched them go while she walked toward the exit. She began scanning the papers Spearhead gave her as she walked. True to his word, the pictures and names of 16 different ponies were on the document, which Samus noticed half were male and half were female. There was also the information regarding the changelings. They could adapt the form of whatever they saw, feed on love, and look like a cross between insect and pony. It was suspected they could inherit the abilities of the form they took, albeit it wasn't confirmed.

Samus kept walking. She decided to return to her ship and see what could be of help; or make some more repairs if nothing else. As she walked, she began wondering how working with the pony guards would be. Would they be good? Bad? Useless? Worthy partners? She would see tomorrow.

Yes, this was definitely an interesting mission.

OXOXO

Some repairs were made yesterday at the afternoon; a few more tweaks here and there and her ship will be able to fly, but as long as the fission reactor was still damaged, the ship wouldn't have enough power to fly past the atmosphere. Still, she would be able to travel between Ponyville and Canterlot soon.

But that was for later. Now, she had a mission to complete. Double checking that missiles and ammo were at full capacity, and that she had all of her prepared equipment on her, Samus deactivated her suit and exited her ship. She did some flexes while she waited for the guards that would become her teammates in this mission. Again, she asked for Adam to inform any visitors of her absence.

Over the distance, Samus could see a flying chariot being pulled by armored pegasi. The chariot was carrying other stallions, which Samus assumed were her teammates. Once it landed, the four stallions got off, each carrying a wooden chest. The pegasi left with the chariot when their passengers were safely on land. However, Samus noticed these ponies were of a different color than the ones she met yesterday; only Spearhead was familiar. The earth pony was dust-colored with darker mane and a compass with a red arrow pointing northeast for a cutie mark, the unicorn had a dark brown coat with dark gray mane and an explosion cutie mark, and the pegasus was an electric yellow with blue mane and his cutie was a thundercloud.

Spearhead approached Samus and introduced the guards. "Greetings, Samus. Good to see you ready. As we told you yesterday, these stallions will be part of our team. This guy is Land Scout, this is Boomer, and this is Cloud Zapper." He pointed to each stallion, and each responded with a salute.

"Mind telling me why they are colored differently?" asked Samus, pointing at the unarmored stallions.

"The royal armor changes a guard's fur color for either white or light gray for the Celestial Guard, or a dark gray for the Lunar Guard. Higher ranking guards are given special armor that keeps the original color." explained Spearhead.

"I don't see the point to that." Samus replied. "It seems stupid."

"Meh. The only ones that see the point are the princesses themselves. Now enough chitchat; these guys are the ones you met earlier, so let's get ready and get going already. We shall introduce ourselves more thoroughly on the way." responded an eager-sounding Spearhead as he placed his chest on the floor. His subordinate did the same with theirs.

They all opened their chest, which were full with miscellaneous gear and tools. The Lieutenant pony took out his armor and clad himself in it; he also took out a pair of spears, which he fastened on his back. Land Scout took out a helmet with binoculars and a saddlebag with papers, books and some other things in them, as well as a small dagger. Boomer just grabbed a heavy-looking metal vest and put it on; the vest had two compartments containing something. Finally, Cloud Zapper took a lighter armor (it wasn't the royal armor) and his own spear, as well as a bag filled with provisions. Samus simply activated her Power Suit.

Once they were all ready, Spearhead commanded his team to follow him. The team began their trek to the haunted forest, determination on their faces, to complete their mission.

On the way to the forest, Spearhead began speaking. True to his word, he talked about himself. "Time to know each other better. I'll begin, if you don't mind. With the exception of Land Scout, you may not know me very well. I am the Royal Guard Lieutenant in charge of the earth pony faction. My cutie mark is that of two crossed spears, meaning I am quite skilled at handling spears and other weapons. That talent, along with being a decent strategist, earned me my rank as lieutenant. In this expedition, I will be serving as the group's leader. I will also contribute with my ability to fight and plan." He turned to Land Scout. "Your turn."

"Yes." began Land Scout "I am an explorer. I'm actually one of the guys that helped graph a fairly decent map of the Everfree Forest. I love to explore and record my findings; that's how I got my cutie mark, actually. I'm proud of my speed and agility. During one of the expeditions, I helped in chasing away a manticore that attacked us. The leader of the team recommended me to the Royal Guard, so I accepted and here I am. In today's mission, I will be serving as a scout and gather intelligence and warn of possible dangers for the team; I will be in front of the group and guide it through the forest. I also carry useful information about the forest and some of the creatures that lurk in it. I also volunteered to this mission because I want to learn more about the forest; I will record any findings."

"I think it's my turn." said Boomer "I am a demolition pony. I love explosives! It was thanks to the 'booms' that I got my cutie mark. I also love to make fireworks in my free time. Sadly, there isn't a lot that needs to be destroyed in Equestria, so that means I had much free time. I decided to join the Royal Guard to see if my talents could be useful. There is not much on the 'boom' department, but I'm happy serving the princess. My role in this mission is to eliminate any and all obstacles obstructing our way. I am also in charge of setting traps when we camp, monsters are said to be more active at night. Finally, I will provide first aid to any injury we may suffer; I'm no doctor, but I'll make sure you last until we see one."

"I am Cloud Zapper." the pegasus introduced himself "I used to be part of the weather crew in Canterlot, but opted to abandon it and become a Royal Guard when I heard of Princess Luna's return. It took some time, but I finally managed to get accepted. I work in the day guard, but I really aim to become a night guard. They say it's a lot harder to become a night guard, but that's what I want. I got nothing against Princess Celestia, but the princess I want to serve is Luna; that's my dream. I chose to accept this mission because they say the Everfree Forest is always dark, and I think I could use the practice for night guarding. Speaking of which, I will be assisting in this mission by providing an air watch, I'll keep the group under vigilance and warn of any threat that comes near. It is also my duty to carry the equipment and provisions. I provide support in combat with my spear; I'm not as good as the lieutenant, but I can hold my own. And that's about it. What about you Samus?"

"I am a bounty hunter; I hunt down people with a bounty on their head. My job is delivering that person, dead or alive, to my employer. I receive my payment after the job is done. I am also hired to do certain jobs. After some... _issues_ with my last employers, I had to run. In one of my escapades, I crashed here. My role, according to Lieutenant Spearhead's information, is to provide heavy firepower and try to keep all of you safe. If something attacks, I kill it."

"That sound about right." Spearhead spoke "We're here."

Before the guards and human stood the entrance to the most dangerous forest known to ponykind: The Everfree Forest. With a nervous gulp from each equine, the group pressed forward and entered the woods.

As they were entering the haunted forest, Samus couldn't resist asking "What's so scary about this forest, anyway? I keep hearing bits, but nothing really makes sense."

"That's exactly it." answered Boomer with a creepy voice "Nopony knows what may lurk in it. They also say that the plants grow on their own, animals care of themselves, and clouds move without pony intervention."

Samus had to resist the urge to facepalm.

OXOXO

Once inside the haunted woods, Samus had at least admitted the forest was spooky. While she wasn't scared, she did notice it was incredibly dark. The sun burned brightly in the sky, and yet it appeared to be nighttime inside the forest.

A few hours had passed since the group ventured into the dark woods. Nothing too noteworthy had happened; just a couple of attacks from Timberwolves, which were unsurprisingly flammable, and a giant spider of sorts. Samus's efficiency in getting rid of monsters greatly raised the spirit of the team; they no longer seem nervous.

Soon, the group came to a stop to rest to grab a bite. Cloud Zapper picked various fruits from the saddlebag he was carrying and gave one to each member. Samus refused, saying she didn't need to eat when in her suit.

During the break, Land Scout decided to go and explore a bit. Leaving the group behind, he went to see what else he could find. A few minutes later, Land Scout returned with fear in his face and almost all color drained from him.

"Guys, I think you may want to take a look at this." He barely said. The group quickly packed and followed the terrified stallion into another clearing. He just pointed at what was in front of them. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

The sight was shocking, even for Samus. Before them stood a skull, a skull the size of a building. The dead remains of a gigantic bear were in front of them, and they could do nothing but look awed at it. It was easily over 200 feet long, and a big stalactite could be seen protruding from the dead creature's skull.

"An Ursa Major." Spearhead whispered to himself. "What could possibly kill an Ursa Major?!"

Samus, quickly recovering from the mild shock, scanned the body. It seemed it had been dead for a while now. Someone or something killed this giant by forcefully slamming the massive stalactite into its head. Zooming on the distance with her visor, Samus spotted a cave, most likely the Ursa's home.

After reporting her scans and theory to Spearhead, the group decided to go investigate the cave. Without any real leads, it was as good a place as any to start looking for the missing ponies. When they reached the cave, the first thing they noticed was a discarded water tower lying near the entrance. The rust on it indicated it had been there for a while. Looking around, they found the base of the broken stalactite on the ceiling. It appeared that it didn't fall naturally, further contributing to Samus's theory on the Ursa's demise.

Other than that, the cave was empty. Seeing they would find no more clues, the group left. Once outside, they noticed night was coming. Deciding on camping by the cave, Cloud Zapper and Land Scout began setting up camp, while Boomer went to set the traps in case of nocturnal monster attacks. Spearhead and Samus began discussing the route they would take in the morning, trying to narrow down the possible locations for the missing ponies.

"There's a lake south from here." said Spearhead while looking at the map. "If we search near the lake, we may have greater chances of finding something. If changelings are hiding in this forest, they will need a water source, so they'll most likely be near the lake. That is, of course, _if_ there are any changelings."

As they continued their plan, Boomer returned with big grin on his face. "Hey, fellas, look what I found! Zap apples!" In his telekinetic grip were several rainbow-colored apples. "I heard these things were very rare. I never had one before."

Finishing setting up camp, they all shared the colorful fruits; even Samus took off her helmet to try them. They were nothing special, save for the electrical tingling left on her mouth after she took a bite. The rest of her squad seemed to agree with her.

After everyone had dinner, Samus volunteered to watch over for the night. Again, her suit made sleep unnecessary. They required no effort in accepting her offer. Soon, every pony was asleep. Samus took this time read some of Land Scout's books; not without keeping an eye on her teammates.

The hours passed as Samus flipped the pages. Nothing really noteworthy could be found in the books; mostly information regarding the 'unusual phenomenons' of the forest. Things Samus already knew, having dealt with countless forest environments during her adventures.

Eventually, morning came and the sun began peeking from the horizon, not that it was overly visible in the forest. The guards began waking up, and soon they were up and ready. After neutralizing the traps and eating breakfast, they continued their trek.

Not long after they resumed their travels, the group heard a faint clucking sound. As they kept walking, the sound got louder and louder, until they could point its origin in a nearby bush. Ever the eager one, Cloud Zapper approached the bush to investigate. Land Scout's expression, however, instantly went from confused to fearful, and before he could warn his teammate of the danger, Cloud Zapper looked through the bush. In it was a chicken, a chicken with the tail of a snake. As he looked at the strange creature in the eyes, he felt unable to move. Cloud Zapper's teammates could only watch in horror as all armor, fur and skin in him was replaced by stone. Instead of a brave pegasus, there stood a statue of said pegasus.

Samus wasted no time in blowing the cockatrice's head with a plasma shot. Once she confirmed its death, she turned to Land Scout, clearly shaken by what she just witnessed.

"What the hell was that?!"

"That was a cockatrice. It turns you to stone if you look at it in the eyes."

"Just by looking at it? Now I understand your fear for this place. Is it reversible?"

"Only a cockatrice can reverse their petrifying power. Even if you hadn't blown up its head, there really wasn't any way we could force it to undo it, so don't feel bad."

"So what now?" Boomer asked the leader.

Spearhead looked conflicted for a moment, before his head turned away from the pony statue. "We leave him. We still have a mission to complete. Once we do that, we will return for him and take him to the castle; hopefully the princesses can do something. I also heard there was a zebra living in the forest with some experience with this sort of thing. She should be near Ponyville, I think. Boomer, place a tracking spell so we can return later." Once Boomer was done with the spell, Spearhead resumed his trek and the others followed; regret was evident in his face.

Hours later, they arrived at the lake. Before they would show themselves in the clearing near the lake, Land Scout was sent to scout the area. The others waited for his report, which came half an hour later. Just as Spearhead predicted, there was a group of four changelings camping on the other side of the lake.

"At last! At last we find some clues!" Spearhead exclaimed "Here's the plan: Land Scout and I will attack from the front, while they are distracted, Boomer and Samus will provide firepower from their back. Once we overwhelm them, we will capture and interroga-" he was cut off as a green flaming object rammed into him. Both slid on the ground a few feet, before they rose.

"Horseapples! They must've followed me here!" Samus heard Land Scout curse loudly.

Samus was about to shoot the offending attacker, but froze once she saw two Spearheads glaring at each other. She didn't even begin thinking when three more projectiles attempted to strike her. Samus avoided them on pure reflex, but noticed there were now two Boomers, two Land Scouts, and another Samus. The fake Samus, however, lacked the complete armor of the Power Suit, and was left instead with what resembled the Fusion Suit (a blue-and-yellow, less bulky version of the Power Suit) without the arm cannon and helmet, leaving the head and the right arm uncovered. The failed copy only had chance to look at itself in panic before three green shots exploded on it. Samus watch as the Battlehammer brought an end to the faker, flaring a flash of green flame before revealing its real shape. A few more shots from the heavy-duty weaponry left a now dead changeling lying on the floor of the forest.

Turning to the other pairs, she noticed each fighting their own copy. Samus switched her combat visor to the X-ray visor, but it proved futile; the changeling's disguises were perfect. She tried with her other visors, but none could notice the difference between changeling and pony.

This revelation made two things clear: changelings could morph into perfect copies of their targets, unless said targets were mechanical or robotic in nature; the fake Samus could only transform into her human body and the biological parts of the suit, but the other copies were able to mimic equipment worn by her teammates. Also, the changelings fought with the same style as the original ponies, so it was safe to assume they also mimicked abilities and skills.

Sadly, this information proved useless at trying to distinguish friend from foe. Samus struggled to find a way to help the guards without risking for friendly fire. Finally, she opted to immobilize both parties. She switched from the Battlehammer to the Ice Beam and began charging. A couple of seconds later, Samus fired the Ice Spreader at the nearest pair: the Land Scouts.

As the shot reached the ground, a thick layer of ice began spreading through the ground, catching pony and copy to stop their fight as their legs froze. Both looked in terror at their legs for a moment, but only one turned fear into realization. That Land Scout turned to Samus and gave her a knowing smile. This was all the confirmation she needed, though, so she charged a plasma shot and fired at the panicking stallion. The shot went right through him, killing him and reverting its body back to a changeling's.

Samus was about to help Spearhead when she saw their leader impale his clone with one of his spears. The defeated stallion groaned in pain, flashed green, and turned into the mimicking creature it was. All that was left was to help Boomer, and that was what they were about to do before the remaining changeling notice it was alone. The faux unicorn threw a smokescreen spell and morphed back into his bug-pony form and flew away.

Samus quickly inserted something in her arm cannon and took aim. A few seconds later she cursed and removed the object, opting to switch to the Imperialist as her weapon grew longer with red linings on it. While Samus preferred direct combat, she was a fairly decent sniper. She zoomed her combat visor and once again took aim. After a few tense moments, the guards watched as a red laser was fired from the huntress's arm, leaving a trail of light; the laser continued its trajectory until it hit the fleeing enemy. Ponies and human saw the black dot in the distance fall to its death.

The commotion finished, Samus activated the suit's plasma welder and thawed Land Scout from his icy bindings. Spearhead, instead, turned his attention to the injured changeling. Any attempt to question it, however, became useless, for the changeling died a little after Land Scout was freed. Spearhead cursed then retrieved his spear from the black body.

"Looks like we're back to square one. Any ideas?" asked a not-hopeful Spearhead to his team.

"Keep looking." answered Samus. Land Scout and Boomer nodded in agreement.

"Of course..." And so the squad continued their trek through the Everfree. They searched around the lake to see if they could spot any more clues, but so far their search was fruitless.

Sundown was nearing, so they decided to set up camp. With their provisions turned to stone thanks to a certain chicken-snake hybrid, Spearhead joined Land Scout in looking for something to eat while Samus and Boomer set camp. Not long after, the earth ponies returned with some berries and leaves. The lake provided enough water for all, so they drank and filled their respective canteen.

After a short but tasty meal, the ponies were about to turn in when they heard a scream. The voice was somewhat deep and a bit raspy, and it was increasing in volume. Whatever it was, it was approaching the camp fast. Spearhead and Samus stood on guard, not sure what to expect. After several second of tension, a panicked changeling came rushing out from some bushes.

"RUN! Run for your lives!" It yelled in panic as soon as it saw the guards and the human.

The changeling kept running, until Spearhead threw one of his spears. The spear soared until it embedded itself in the ground just in front of the fleeing changeling. The surprise made it yelp and stop, at least long enough to allow Spearhead to pounce on it. Spearhead succeeded in trapping the bug pony under his front hooves, but before he could demand anything the changeling yelled at him.

"What are you doing?! Run, you fool!" The changeling looked with panic at the spot it came from. Spearhead was about to ask what was going on, when at least three roars were heard from the place the changeling was glancing at. From the same bushes came three manticores, all looking for the black shape shifter. This was enough to let Spearhead forget about the changeling and spring to action.

Samus was already charging her Arm Cannon and taking aim. As soon as the charge was complete, she let loose a barrage of missiles at the winged lions' direction. The missiles all struck home, but did little more than singe and stun the beasts. Spearhead provided some support when a spear pierced one manticore's shoulder. A glowing red sphere, coming from Boomer's horn, struck another manticore, producing an explosion a bit stronger than the missiles. Now each manticore was focused on one member of the search squad. Land Scout took Boomer's side in fighting the beast.

The first to attack was Spearhead. Grabbing his other spear, he began slashing at the beast's face and front paws. While not dealing too much damage, it succeeded in keeping creature at the defensive. Every now and then, the guard pony would strike the spear already latched in the defender's shoulder, evoking a roar of pain. The strategy was working well, until the manticore struck Spearhead with its tail. Taking advantage of the pause in attacks, the manticore snapped the spear in its shoulder, and took the point out with its paw. Free from the weapon, the manticore switched from defending to attacking; Spearhead barely avoided a set of claws aim at his head. Avoiding a vertical swing of the paw, Spearhead stabbed the creature in the front paw and bucked it the face. Recovering quickly, the manticore bit Spearhead in the shoulder. Fortunately, his armor absorbed most of the damage. With a headbutt, the royal guard freed himself from the creature's maw, and continued his fight with the winged lion.

Samus was faring a lot better; she kept the beast at bay with power shots. Once at a safe distance, Samus fired an ice missile. The projectile struck and froze the manticore's back legs. Switching to the Ice Beam, Samus kept firing until her opponent was completely frozen. Once that was done, she fired one Super Missile at it; the blast was strong enough to shatter the frozen statue, effectively killing the creature.

Boomer, on the other hand, was hard pressed trying to avoid the destructive paw swing aimed at him. Since he wasn't very fast, he was being hit quite a few times; only his metal vest kept him from being killed. Avoiding the attacks also meant he couldn't concentrate on any spells, rendering his magic virtually useless. Land Scout could only do so much with a dagger the beast didn't even seem to feel. They were about to give up when another manticore appeared and began fighting with their opponent. Boomer dumbly watched the two manticores fight each other for a moment, before recovering his focus and charged his magic into his horn. Red energy coursed from the base of the horn to the tip, where it began growing a sphere. Finally, one of the manticores struck the other with an uppercut, sending it flying backwards. The moment the losing winged lion hit the ground, it flashed with green fire for half a second before revealing the same changeling, battered and covered in wounds. Boomer took noticed and fired at the remaining manticore. The blast was powerful enough to send it flying several yards in the air.

Watching Spearhead struggling with his opponent, Samus switched back to the Power Beam and charged her weapon again. Running toward the fighting pair, she leapt at the manticore. Grabbing the beast's neck, she brought it down to the ground with her momentum and placed her cannon inside the manticore's maw. Releasing the shot she was charging inside the beast was enough to end the fight permanently.

Once the group was free from attacking monsters, they turned their attention to the changeling that had just saved Boomer and Land Scout from death. They noticed it was missing half its left wing, and that it was wearing a silver necklace with an aquamarine gemstone. As it was about to stand up, Spearhead pushed it back to the ground.

"Who are you? And what were you doing in this forest?" asked the lieutenant at the changeling. The changeling struggled a bit before answering.

"You can call me Darkly. I was following some changelings. I got separated from the swarm sometime back. I was going alone, but I sensed some changelings nearby, so I went looking for them. I wanted to return to the swarm with them, maybe they know where the queen is; sadly, I lost them before I could reach them, and I can't sense them anymore." Darkly's tone was becoming more and more sad the more he talked. Spearhead's expression, however, never varied from stern.

"We were attacked by changeling earlier today. We had no choice but to eliminate them." said Spearhead with a mostly neutral tone, with just a bit of regret and condolence.

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that." The changeling's tone went from sad to disappoint. "I was looking for them because I was going back to the swarm. There's something I need to discuss with the queen."

"You know where the changeling swarm is?" Spearhead asked a little too eagerly.

"Um... I think so, yes." was Darkly's shy reply.

"You will take us there. As from now on, you are under arrest in the name of Celestia and Luna. I recommend a complying behavior, else we will use force on you." recited Spearhead. He looked at the changeling with an angry expression.

"I don't want trouble, but I'm afraid I can't take you to the swarm. They-" he was cut short with a shot from Samus's cannon on his back leg. Though it hurt, it didn't really do any real damage. "Ow! What was that for? And what the hay are you, anyway?" He asked angrily at Samus.

"Sorry, I thought you were resisting arrest. I'm a human." The armored huntress answered without any emotion in her voice. "Would you happen to know anything about pony disappearances?"

"No. Not that I'm aware of." Responded an annoyed Darkly.

"Why did you save us?" This time Boomer asked. "You could've escaped, but you went and risked your neck to save us. Why?"

"Well... I saw you losing the fight, and I couldn't just stand there and do nothing about it. I was taught to always help those that need it."

Samus looked at him from behind her visor, a plan formulating in her mind. "Good enough for me. Spearhead, unbind him." Samus ordered Spearhead. The pony leader didn't move.

"Are you serious? I didn't take you for a joker, Samus." responded the pony leader with annoyance in his voice.

"I'm serious. Let him go. He is of no use to us if you keep him restrained. Besides, he said he couldn't guide us to the changeling swarm." With a leer, Spearhead complied. Samus returned her attention to the changeling prisoner. "Go on. Return to your hive. Just inform us if you learn anything about the disappearances, ok?" Darkly nodded.

As the changeling turned to leave, Spearhead called out "Wait! I didn't say he could go. He's coming with us to Canterlot." But before he could stop Darkly, Samus stepped in front of him and blocked his path with an outstretched arm. "Move!"

"It's all right. Trust me." Samus tried to calm her leader. The changeling looked unsure, so he stopped moving.

"I. Said. MOVE!" Spearhead would have none of it; they finally had a lead, and he wasn't going to let it go. "I'm warning you."

After some tense seconds, Samus complied. "As you wish." The huntress stepped aside and allowed Spearhead to approach the changeling. Boomer and Land Scout looked at each other in confusion before turning back to their leader. Spearhead motioned for Boomer to chain their prisoner. Reluctantly, the unicorn obeyed.

"Sorry, got to follow orders." said Boomer as he procured a pair of hoofcuffs from his vest's compartment. The changeling didn't resist being chained, but it was evident he wasn't enjoying it. Once the restraints were placed, Boomer took a step back. "Done."

"Good." replied Spearhead "We will camp here. I want Land Scout to guard this time. Make sure nothing surprises us and that out black friend doesn't escape." Land Scout saluted in understanding.

"I told you I'll comply; I don't want any trouble." Darkly was ignored.

"I need to talk to you." Spearhead told Samus "In private." Spearhead looked at his two pony subordinates before motioning to the huntress to follow. He and Samus got away from the camp, leaving Land Scout and Boomer to take care of Darkly.

"So, uh... nice necklace." commented an awkward-feeling Land Scout, seeing the necklace on Darkly's neck.

"Thanks. It was a gift." the moment was too awkward for both ponies and changeling "Nice, uh... helmet..."

OXOXO

Meanwhile, in Ponyville.

"Arrgghh! The nerve of that woman. Here I am, trying my best to provide a comprehensible amount of learning material and she just flees at the first chance. Does she have no concern about me, her teacher? Was I too hard on her?" Twilight ranted while pacing in circles inside her library. Spike busied himself cleaning and dusting the bookshelves.

"Well, Adam said she was on a mission in Canterlot. Something about the princesses?" Spike dared to explain Samus's absence.

"But why didn't she notify me first? Was it too hard to leave a note saying when she would come back? Arrgghh! The nerve of that woman." Not only was Samus _late_ for her lessons, she didn't even come! Deciding to calm herself a little, Twilight went to the kitchen to prepare some tea.

"Maybe it was urgent. Give her a break, Twilight; it's not like she'll never come back. Besides, she did better than you expected; she even reads faster than you!"

"Shush! Thanks to her absence, I have to reschedule my schedule to schedule my schedules! You know how off-schedule she made my schedules?" Twilight yelled from the kitchen. After a few minutes, she emerged from the kitchen carrying her steaming cup of tea. She took a sip and visibly relaxed. "Anyways, now that we know she's not coming, we have some free time. Anything interesting happened?"

"Dunno." said Spike. He gave Twilight a newspaper and continued his cleaning duties. "I'm not too fond of reading, so you check."

Twilight levitated the paper to eye level and began reading. "Looks like the mysterious 'Silvermane' saved another town. It says here she saved Marelin from some teen dragon vandals." She continued reading. "Let's see... A storm almost got out of control in Manehattan, but was ultimately stopped. Stalliongrad is holding a skating tournament. Oh! 'Dexter strikes again: Weeping Mare stolen from Canterlot Museum'. Looks like Dexter stole yet another painting. It says here that she stole 'The Weeping Mare', but returned the ancient vase she stole last time. That's the ninth time she steals something and returns what she stole before, always with the drawing of a heart with glasses. Kind of weird, if you ask me."

"I don't get it. Why steal something if she's going to return it later anyway, and with a free drawing to boot?"

"I don't know. Maybe she just gets bored with the stuff she steals? Or she just wants to annoy stuck-up ponies; she always goes for 'important art'. Who knows? There sure are a lot of interesting ponies out there."

"Whatever. I'm done, so I'm going to bed. Good night." said the baby dragon as he climbed the stairs.

"Good night, Spike." said Twilight as she gave her tea another sip and continued reading. Then something in the paper caught her eye and she giggled "'Orange robot spotted in Ponyville. Is the end near?' I wonder how Samus is doing..."

OXOXO

"Explain. You must have a reason for wanting to free the changeling," said Spearhead. "because from what I can see, you're not the trusting type."

"I placed a tracker in his leg. I want him to go to his hive without him looking over his back. He must think no one is following him so he doesn't mislead me." Spearhead just raised an eyebrow "Look, I have technology. Tracking spells, from what I can understand, can be found and undone. I don't think the same can be said for technology."

"So you expect us to invade their hive when they least expect it."

"I was actually going to say _I_ will infiltrate their hive. I have more than enough firepower to deal with an army. Also, I won't take partners; none of my visors could differentiate pony from changeling. If I go alone, I won't have to worry about friendly fire."

Spearhead looked like he considered, but ultimately rejected the idea. "I think it's too risky. Sorry, but I can't allow it."

"That may be our only chance." Samus pressed. It didn't work.

"I know, but I won't lose another pony subordinate." Spearhead looked like he failed. And in his eyes, he did. "We'll take the changeling to the princesses and they'll get some information from him." He looked at Samus with fierce determination in his face.

"Fine." Samus conceded. "Whatever the leader says."

"Good to hear you understand. Now let's go back to camp." Both guard and bounty hunter walked back to their camp, where two more guards and a changeling awaited them. "We're back!"

"...and said it matches my eyes. I just don't get pony fashion." Darkly chatted with the two guards. He seemed pretty friendly for a tied prisoner.

"I get you. I still don't know how mares have such a critical eye. I mean, what's the difference between salmon and peach color?" commented Boomer. He was about to continue his talk when he noticed his companions' return. He stood up and saluted his leader.

"At ease." Spearhead commanded. "Tomorrow we will return to Canterlot and present our findings to the princesses. Now rest up." He turned to Land Scout. "Forget watch tonight. Samus will take care of it again." Land Scout only saluted and turned to lie down. Shortly after, Spearhead and Boomer joined him.

That left Samus in charge of the changeling. She watched the changeling trying to get comfortable in his bindings until he succeeded. She took a moment to scan the prisoner; and just as she expected, the scan provided some tips and facts. It turns out they can mimic clothes and accessories, but nothing too complex. They retain the abilities of their target, albeit on a lower level. This reminded her of when the pirates tried to copy her beams. They were weaker, but were still quite powerful. The fact that changelings could fool all her visors was a bit discouraging though.

Spearhead's plan wasn't actually bad, but she was doubtful of Darkly's usefulness in this mission if he was brought to Celestia and Luna. If he guided them to the swarm, however, they were more likely to find the missing ponies, given they were taken by the changelings. Samus waited until all her companions were asleep before she proceeded with her plan. She approached the sleeping Darkly, careful not to wake the ponies, and shook him awake. The changeling awoke with a low groan; Samus wasted no time in signaling for silence. She looked back to her teammates and found them still sleeping. Good.

Her arm cannon produced four small, short metal rods that sparked a small flame. Before Darkly could make any noise in his sudden panic, Samus told him it was okay. Using her plasma welder, Samus cut the hoofcuffs binding Darkly, and freed him. "Go. Now! Return to your swarm, I'll cover for you." Samus said in a low whisper.

"Why are you doing this?" asked a grateful, but confused, Darkly. "You are disobeying your orders!"

"True, but I won't keep you from your family. Besides, you are of no use if you stay with us" Technically not a lie.

"Thank you! I'll let you know if I find something about the ponies you seek." He seemed honest enough, though it was hard to tell. "Again, thank you so much!"

Samus watched as the changeling ran away, heading for his family. A quick check made sure the tracker was in place and working. She would give Darkly a couple of days to reach his destination before resuming her mission. She looked back at the sleeping Spearhead; it was going to be a pain explaining what she just did.

Then again, there's a reason she was a bounty hunter: the law was no obstacle in her missions; she was given an objective and a price, everything else were just minor details.

OXOXO

_Samus Ara's Log, entry 018:_

_Not a week in this planet and I already have a mission: Find and rescue missing ponies. An interesting species has piqued my interest. They are named 'changelings', and as their names suggests they are shape-shifters; their morphing abilities are able to fool all my visors. While I consider their shape-shifting to be less impressive than Gandrayda's, they make up for it with the ability to use magic and fly. I think I will start studying these creatures as well, given the opportunity._

OXOXO

Samus watched, only with little amusement, how Spearhead woke up and went through several emotions in a few seconds when he saw their changeling prisoner missing. He decided to settle with intense anger and direct it toward Samus. "WHERE, IN CELESTIA'S NAME, IS THAT CHANGELING?!" His outburst immediately woke up Land Scout and Boomer, who looked around before glaring at Samus like Spearhead.

"I let him go. He's on his way to the swarm." was Samus's simple reply. She noticed Spearhead tense in order to attack, so she did the same.

Her surprise came from the ground beneath her, briefly glowing red, giving way and firmly trapping her legs. She tried to raise her arm cannon, but found it glowing the same red as the ground and Boomer's horn. "Got her!" was the unicorn's only inform.

Spearhead nodded in confirmation and turned to the human again. "What possessed you to go against my orders? That was our only lead." He said with a misleadingly calm voice. "Your defiance may have cost us the lives of several ponies." He then tilted his head forward a little while raising an eyebrow, signaling for Samus to explain.

"My hirers were Luna and Celestia, not you. I will complete my mission on my terms. If you have a problem with that, then talk to the princesses." Samus intoned defiantly.

Boomer seemed to struggle to keep his binding magic on the huntress's weapon. Samus noticed her energy levels, which were not full due to some minor damage received earlier, were slowly rising. "She's draining my magic!" accused Boomer. This brought a spear and a dagger close to her helmet's visor.

"It's not me." she quickly defended.

"Yes it is. I can feel it." Boomer pressed.

"I'm not doing it on purpose. Stop using magic on me."

"Nice try." said Spearhead "You're not going anywhere until you answer some questions."

"Then Boomer will continue getting drained." countered Samus. Her response once again angered the pony leader. "I said I can't control it. It may be one of my suit's functions; I don't know." This piece of news actually surprised Samus. Further investigation would be required.

Spearhead just regarded her for a few moments before he turned to Boomer and motioned to Samus with his head. Boomer nodded in understanding and freed Samus from her bindings. His horn, however, didn't stop glowing, and by the time Samus noticed this something round, flat and bright red was attached to her back. "Done."

"Good." said Spearhead. He turned to Samus again. "I won't be taking any more chances with you. You are more trouble than you are worth, so I decided to put a little restrain on you. I really don't like doing this, but leave me no other viable choice. That thing on your back is a powerful explosive; cause any more trouble and, as Boomer likes to say, you go 'boom'. We are going back to Canterlot to inform the princesses. Pray they see things in your favor, because if not, well..." he left the sentence hanging.

Land Scout took out a map and traced the shortest route to Canterlot. "The route is set, sir. If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to pick up Cloud Zapper and return to Canterlot by tomorrow morning." informed the scout.

"The bomb is set. If I don't reset the magic timer every now and then, it'll explode. The same goes for voluntary detonation. And before you get any ideas, that's a controlled explosion; its range is just your back, so don't think of taking us with you if it explodes." Boomer said referring to the explosive attached on Samus's back.

"Excellent. I hope miss Samus is ready because we leave now." Spearhead ordered and the group followed. "Onward to Cloud Zapper, then Canterlot Castle."

That bomb may present a problem for Samus, for now she needed Boomer alive and conscious, lest she wanted to figure out just how powerful that explosive was.

Not that her suit couldn't take it. Probably.

Still, it would be in everyone's interest for her to follow orders for a little while longer. Considering the circumstances, she wasn't really concerned; she has been in tighter situations.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. You may notice some**** small tributes to some game characters, expect more in the future. **

**On another note, I reread what I have written. While I think I did a good job in spelling and grammar, I can't help but feel this story lacks punch; it feels weak. So if someone is interested in editing a bit to give it more style, feel free to do so.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot (as in story).

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Changeling Queen**

Samus was walking. Samus was walking while tuning out a voice. Samus was walking while tuning out a voice belonging to an extremely annoying lieutenant ranting about strategy and plans. Samus lost interest rather quickly, thus the reason the voice was tuned out. Had the pony guard not repeated the same idea for the Nth time, Samus would probably still be paying attention to said pony guard.

But alas, such was not the case.

On the bright side, nothing that could hinder progress happened. They were even faster than expected, picking up Cloud Zapper's statue (which Samus was ordered to carry) and reaching Canterlot Castle around midnight. Samus had to give it to Land Scout, the guy was _good_ with maps and routes. It was extremely rare for Samus to have things actually go better than expected. Of course, it'd be nice if Samus didn't have a bomb ready to explode on her back, but she'd take what she got.

Samus and the guards arrived at the throne room. Being a little past midnight, they were greeted by Princess Luna. The Night Princess sat on the throne while Celestia was nowhere in sight; probably sleeping. Upon seeing the bomb in Samus's back and a statue resembling Cloud Zapper, Luna's welcoming smile turned into a frown. "What happened?"

"Your majesty, Samus has sabotaged our expedition and Cloud Zapper got turned into stone." Spearhead responded with a neutrality and force expected from any military agent. "And a shocking discovery was made: Samus is a magic leech."

"That's news to me too." interrupted Samus. "I'm planning to do a little investigation about this."

Luna had mixed feelings with this revelation. Before she could decide on anything, however, she would need to hear both sides of the story first. With a long, tired sigh, she began talking."I would like it if both were to tell me the event of what has transpired the last couple of days. Keep in mind, Samus, that we do _not_ tolerate treason, so choose your words very carefully. Now, if you please, lieutenant." she finished motioning for Spearhead to talk.

"*ahem* Of course, your majesty." Spearhead began "We were doing fine in our trek, until we got attacked by a cockatrice. As you can see, Cloud Zapper fell victim to its gaze. Afterwards, we were attacked by a group of changelings, though they were taken care of. That night, when we were preparing camp, we found another changeling. This changeling, however, turned out to be compliant and avoided trouble. The plan was to bring it here and let you interrogate it for further information about our missing ponies. But as you may have already guessed, Samus went against my orders and freed the changeling. We also discovered she has the ability to drain magic, although according to Boomer, it is when in contact with it and only in small amounts. We have brought her here so you could deal with her."

Luna regarded the earth pony for a while, before nodding her understanding. "I see. Let us hear Samus's version of the story before we make our decision." She then turned to Samus with a glance both disappointed and curious.

Taking Luna's glance as her cue to talk, Samus began. "The reason I'm a bounty hunter and not part of the military is because I have more freedom. They hire us is because some issues can't be solved 'legally'. My mission was to find and rescue the missing ponies or inform you of their deaths. I'll do whatever it takes to complete my mission, even going against your guard's orders."

"But freeing the changeling was a step back, not forward, in your objective." interrupted Luna. "Mind explaining that?"

"Of course." Samus sighed "I placed a tracker in the changeling. Right now, he must heading toward the hive, where your ponies are most like being held. By letting him go, I made him show us its location. I'll monitor his movement for a few days, and when I determine their position I'll intrude on the hive and free the ponies."

"Hmm..." Luna seemed to consider this option. "It looks like a good plan. But why wait a few days? The sooner we end this operation the better."

"It's a common tactic to send squadrons away from the base of operations to misguide spies. The changelings we encountered in the Everfree were probably there to cause a diversion and focus attention in the forest, not the hive's location. By having an accurate position, I can launch an attack without them expecting me."

"But what about the ponies?" asked Spearhead this time "What you suggest is to leave them in their grasp. That's too dangerous to even consider!"

"From what you've told me, they went missing several days ago and not a single message was sent from the changelings requesting anything in exchange." Samus countered "By my experience, your ponies are either dead, or the changelings need them for something, meaning they won't kill them. Either way, a few days won't change a thing for them, but will give me enough time to pinpoint their location, plan a sneak attack and rescue the ponies."

"Give _you_ enough time?" asked Luna with a raised eyebrow. "Surely, you don't mean..."

"I'm going alone." Samus said with finality. "I've had experience with shape-shifters. Besides, I work alone." True, Samus loathed having to keep others on her watch beside herself.

"I can't allow such a risky tactic. Please, let me..." Luna was cut off yet again by Samus.

"Look, I've done this before; I know how this works." Samus looked at Luna and saw concern. "I don't want to risk friendly fire. Prepare a rescue squad; if I clear the place, the guards can come and help escort the ponies. I'll let you know when it is safe."

Luna looked pensive for a moment, and then made her decision with a knowing smile. "I concede. BUT, once you leave for the hive, you have 24 hours to return. If your time runs out, I'm sending the Royal Guards. 24 hours, no more." Her tone left no room for arguing.

"But your highness, she can't be trusted!" Interjected Spearhead. "I am sure we can come with something else."

"Lieutenant..." Luna spoke with a strong but gentle tone "As of right now, Samus has proposed the best course of action. Her experience and equipment also make her the best option. Celestia trusts her, and so do I." Spearhead recoiled a little at the statement, while Samus grinned behind her helmet. "You may leave for your ship, Samus. Prepare for your mission, and please find out about this magic-draining power of yours."

Samus didn't move, however. A quick glance was all it took for Princess Luna to see why, then her gaze turned to Boomer. It took the demolition pony a few seconds to understand what the princess wanted of him. "Oh, right! Sorry." With a quick red glow from his horn, the bomb on Samus's back was gone. Free from her hazard, Samus gave a swift wave of her hand with two fingers outstretched, signaling her depart, and began to walk away.

Before she could entirely exit the room, though, Luna stopped Samus one last time. "Oh, and Samus? Please tell Twilight to contact Zecora; we may need her help with Cloud Zapper's situation." Samus simply nodded before disappearing from sight.

Once the bounty hunter was gone, Luna released a heavy sigh. "Lieutenant, contact Iron Shield and tell him to report _everything_ about Samus's actions. Trust is important, but a little extra precaution wouldn't be a bad idea."

"At once, your majesty." Spearhead bowed.

"Good. You may all leave and take the day off. Thank you for your services." Luna said. Land Scout, Boomer and Spearhead all expressed their gratitude and left.

Luna stood still for a few moments, before a knock came from the same door from which the guards left the room. "Come in." was Luna's simple command. The doors opened and Land Scout emerged from them.

"How is thy majesty faring?" Land Scout exaggeratedly bowed with a smile on his face. "Dost thy highness find this night full with beauty and peace?"

The Night Princess giggled a bit before answering. "Oh stop it you! I no longer talk ancient Equestrian ...Mostly." Luna giggled again before continuing talking. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."

"Well, that's because that's my second special talent." Land Scout responded by making another mock-bow. He straightened himself before his face turned serious at seeing the sad-looking blue alicorn. "Is something on your mind, Luna?"

Princess Luna gave a loud sigh and looked at his present friend in the eye. "Land Scout, what is your opinion of Samus? What can you tell me about her?"

The question didn't surprise Land Scout. Ever since the mistress of the night had her first contact the alien bounty hunter, she had been frequently spacing out. The pony scout figured Samus must be the reason behind it. Still, he was going to be honest. "She's hard to read, and her suit doesn't help with that. She has a lot of experience with military affairs, as far as I can see; and very efficient at dealing with ambushes. Likes to do thing her way, and-"

"No." Luna interrupted "I mean what do you think of her as a sentient being? If she were a pony, what kind of pony would she be?"

"I don't know. She didn't say much during our expedition. She avoided all personal questions and didn't even tell how or why she crashed here. Whatever happened to her in the past, I can only assume is a touchy subject. I'd guess she's the type that prefers to be alone and rejects social interaction. Almost like..." his eyes opened in realization "Almost like you, when you finally returned to us."

"I thank you for your honest opinion." Luna said with a slightly happier tone. "Anything interesting on your trip to the forest?"

"Oh, right! I forgot to mention, but we found a dead Ursa Major in the forest. "

"Major? Are you certain it was not Minor?"

"I'm sure. It was way too big to be a Minor; besides, the skull had well-developed teeth and fangs, so it was a mature specimen. And judging by the discarded water tower, I'd say it was the mother of the Ursa that attacked Ponyville a while back."

The news made Luna's eyes widen and her ears stand in anticipation. "Do you think that...?"

"A stalactite imbedded in its skull suggests that it was killed by a magic user; probably a powerful unicorn. I'm not really sure; I'm no expert in magic" Land Scout answered, knowing well what Luna was asking. "The Ursa seems to have died some time ago. I suspect that whoever killed it is a long way from it. It's very unlikely, but it's possible it was our elusive mare's work."

"That doesn't help our case much. Anything else on that matter?"

"I just read today's paper. It say she was last spotted in Marelin; says she chased some teen dragons out of town. Not a lot of details."

"Thank you, Land Scout. Why don't you go get some sleep? The day after tomorrow I'll send you to assist Samus in any way you can. After that, I'd like you to continue looking for Silvermane. For now, go get some sleep."

"Of course. Good night, Luna" he said before he exited the room and left the princess alone. Luna watched him go and gave another tired sigh.

OXOXO

Samus exited the castle grounds, escorted by two pegasus stallions on Spearhead's orders. They walked in silence until they reached the Canterlot outskirts, where they separated. The guards returned to the castle, while Samus took the scenic route to Ponyville, which meant she walked.

Samus decided to deactivate her Power Suit and enjoy the fresh night air. During her stroll toward her ship, Samus pondered about her newly-discovered magic draining power. The Power Suit seemed to be the likely cause, so a little investigation was in order. Of course, it would have to wait until she reached her gunship; right now, she was replaying the events of the last few days in her head. They have been weird, even by her standards.

As of right now, Samus had no idea what the future would bring for her; and she wasn't really bothered by that. On one hand, if she could repair her ship and leave, she'd be returning to her usual life. It wasn't an easy life, but it that's what she knew. On the other hand, if she were to stay in this land, well... Who knows? Maybe she could adapt to Equestria and spend the rest of her life here; no more hunting, no more space pirates, no more Ridley.

Maybe, just maybe, her past wouldn't catch up with her.

Samus continued her walk toward Ponyville. Judging by the maps she saw, and her ship's locator, she'd arrive at around midday. It was a long walk, but right now Samus was enjoying her moments of peace. The trek back home was uneventful, to which Samus wondered if that was going to be the case during the rest of her stay in Equestria.

OXOXO

As Samus approached her beloved gunship, she noticed Spike in the distance. It looked like he was heading for her ship in a hurry, which promptly piqued her curiosity. A few seconds later, both met just in front of the ship. Spike quickly hugged Samus's leg.

"Oh, sweet Celestia! You're back! You're finally back!" Samus flinched at the sudden show of affection, but before she could ask what the hell was happening, Spike spoke again. "Quick! You have to hide me! Anywhere is fine, just hurry! Just don't let _them_ see me!"

"You owe me." was all Samus said before grabbing the little dragon's tail and flinging him toward her ship hatch. The hatch retracted into the ship as soon as Spike landed on it.

Not three seconds later, the Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived at the scene. They were wearing kitchenware as an armor of sorts, and all three fillies had toy swords in their mouths. After a few moments of looking around, the three crusaders took notice of Samus looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Hawr yoo shin shpak?" Scootaloo asked. Seeing Samus's expression unchanged, she spit her sword and asked again. "Have you seen Spike? We need his help with something."

"I may have." answered Samus.

"Great! We need him to help us get our cutie marks."

"CUTIE MARKS CRUSADERS DRAGON FIGHTERS. YEAH!" all three fillies yelled in unison, making Samus cringe at the sudden outburst.

"So, where is he?"

"He went back to Ponyville."

The three fillies looked at each other, then at Samus, then at each other again. Without any warning, Scootaloo picked her sword and they all bolted back to the village while shouting a 'Thank you!' on their way. Samus just stood there, watching the fillies get smaller in the distance, before turning around and entering her ship via elevator hatch.

Inside, Samus saw Spike curiously looking and inspecting all the button and levers in the cockpit, thankfully not touching anything. The sound of the hatch retracting alerted Spike of Samus's arrival, and he turned to her with hopeful eyes. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah. May I ask why you are not with Twilight?" inquired Samus. "I thought you two always stuck together."

"Nah. I stay in the library cleaning Twilight's messes whenever she stays up late studying, which is almost every night. She was going to practice a spell today, and she's going to a picnic with her friends later, so she gave me the day off." said Spike nonchalantly. "I was on my way to Rarity's, but a certain trio of fillies thought fighting dragons was going to earn them a cutie mark." Samus nodded in understanding. "Stupid newspaper with stupid mare fighting stupid teenage dragons giving stupid ideas..." He muttered under his breath.

An idea came to Samus, and she wasted no time in voicing it. "You know, I just saved your skin, so you kind of owe me. Do you know any place where I can get something good to eat?"

"Well, I know a place, but I was going to make my special emerald pasta today. Why don't you come eat with me?"

"Emerald pasta? As in..."

"Pasta with emerald pieces in it. Not to brag, but you won't find a better emerald pasta than mine." he voiced in pride.

"Emeralds... I think I'll pass."

"Oh, come on! I'll make you some without emeralds, if you want." Spike encouraged the human to accept. His eyes were big with eagerness.

Samus pondered for a moment, but ultimately gave in. Maybe it was Spike's adorably expectant face or maybe it was hunger; either way, she had accepted the dragon's invitation. "I accept your invitation." She then remembered something. "I also need to get some maps of the land. Do you have any?"

"I think so. Just meet me in the library in one hour. I'll have the food done and the maps ready." happily answered Spike.

Their plans for the day set, Spike returned to Ponyville and Samus entered her ship. She equipped her Power Suit for a routine check-up. Once energy tanks and ammo capacity were checked and confirmed (both almost at full capacity), she unequipped her armor and made a damage report on her ship. As expected, it was mostly fine, but she noticed the gunship was running on reserve power; she'd need to recharge the energy cell of her ship for it to function properly and avoid any problems later.

But that could wait for a while. For now, she smiled at the amusing thought that passed through her mind: she had a date with a baby dragon.

OXOXO

"...so I said 'Not likely, but possible!'. She later explained why zombies couldn't possibly invade Equestria and eat brains." laughed Spike, holding a fork with spaghetti and small emeralds. He was eating at the library's table, and across the table sat Samus, who also had a plate of pasta. She was wearing the same clothes she wore on her first (and only) day in school: orange tank top and blue shorts.

Samus chuckled a little at the dragon's anecdote. "I get you. Fighting zombies is a little unnerving at first. But then you get used to it and start blasting them like everything else."

"W-W-What? You mean zombies are real?!" Spike almost choked on his bite.

"Oh, yes. I had encounters with zombies before." Samus commented. Upon seeing the building fear on the dragon's face, she continued. "But don't worry, the parasites responsible for that are extinct."

"Oh, that's good to hear." Spike sighed in relief. He then ate the last mouthful of pasta from his plate. Samus did the same with her emerald-free dish.

Once both finished their food, Spike picked the plates and took them to the kitchen and Samus helped him with the glasses. After depositing the silverware in the sink, Spike and Samus went to the living room, where Spike had left some maps. Samus took a look at them while Spike began picking and organizing books that were on the floor.

Spike continued his work until he noticed Samus looking at him with a smile while resting her chin in her hand, elbow in the table. He tried to ignore the awkward feeling he was getting and got back to work. His plan worked for about six seconds, before he looked again and saw Samus in the exact same way. "Um... May I help you?"

"Don't mind me; I was just thinking on our little date. Thank you for inviting me, now I have something to brag to Rarity about." Samus said in a playful tone.

"W-what? N-n-no! You got it all wrong! I just invited you because I had nothing better to do. Rarity will think... But, I'm not really... You just..." Spike panicked. What would the mare of his dreams say if she saw him having dinner with Samus? Of all the things that could have happened. This was the WORST. POSSI-

Samus laughed at the flustered baby dragon. "Aww! The baby got nervous." She said while ruffled Spike's spines. "Don't worry; I'm just messing with you. It's hard _not_ to notice how you go all lovey-dovey when you think of her."

"Uh... huh?"

"Anyway, I have to go. Thanks again for everything. I'll come back tomorrow to return the maps. Tell Twilight I need to talk with her." Samus fetched the scrolls with the maps and headed towards the door. Before she exited, though, she turned to the baby dragon again. "And sorry for hitting you in the head the other day." She ruffled his spines again and exited the library. "Bye."

"Bye!" waved Spike before closing the door.

It was still early in the night when Samus left the baby dragon's company, but she decided to go to sleep as soon as she got to her ship. It had been a nice time with Spike, relaxing and quite welcome after her little quest to the forest. Who knew messing with the little dragon could be so much fun? Given that she was going to stay in Equestria for a while, Samus was glad she found a new little hobby to pass the time.

OXOXO

The morning sunlight filtered through a hunter-class gunship's green windows, waking the owner of that gunship. Samus awoke with a low groan and stood up. Today was going to be busy: planning an infiltration, investigating her new magic-leeching abilities, making some repairs, and finding a way to recharge an energy cell.

Samus picked the maps given to her by Spike and unfurled them. She equipped her Power Suit and began scanning, making sure to digitalize the maps and uploading the information to her ship's computer. She then proceeded to pinpoint the location of the changeling she was tracking on the ship's screen and her visor. Sure enough, a signal was coming from northwest, not too far from Ponyville or Canterlot. The dot on her map seemed to move, indicating the changeling had yet to reach the swarm.

Once the maps had been scanned, Samus unequipped her armor, picked the maps, and exited her ship. Next on her schedule was visiting Twilight and return the maps, so she headed towards the library. The walk there was uneventful, and Samus reached her destination in 20 minutes. Samus knocked once and Spike opened the door to let her in.

"Thank you for the maps. As promised..." Samus handed the maps to the baby dragon, who put them away.

As Samus looked around, she noticed a lavender unicorn mare asleep on a table full of books. She gave Spike a questioning look, to which he just shrugged. Apparently, it was common for the studious mare to fall asleep reading. Sadly for Twilight, Samus needed her awake, and being the master of tactful approaches, she flicked her finger on Twilight's horn. The maneuver worked and Twilight awoke with a yelp.

"Wha- How- Huh?" Twilight looked around for her sudden awakening. Upon noticing the huntress, her confusion turned to anger. "What the hay is wrong with you?!"

"I need your help with something." Samus said unfazed "I was also told to ask for a zebra named Zecora. We need her help too."

"What? Zecora? What for?" asked Twilight, now a little calmer "Hold on, let me get a mug of coffee first." She went to the kitchen and returned some minutes later with a steaming mug on her magical grasp.

"A guard was turned to stone by a cockatrice. They mentioned she may be able to help with that."

"What?! How did that happen?" Twilight began worrying. "Is everypony else ok? How many more-"

"Just him." interrupted Samus "It happened in a reconnaissance mission in the forest."

The news seemed to calm the studious mare a little, but she was still distressed. "Well, I don't know about Zecora, but you can ask Fluttershy to tell the cockatrice turning him back." said Twilight as she took a sip of coffee. However, Samus's response almost made her spit it.

"Yeah... I blew its head up with a missile." Twilight almost choked on her coffee.

"Oh... I guess I'll go ask her later. Where's the guard?"

"Back in Canterlot; though I wouldn't be surprised to see a chariot bringing the statue here." Samus shrugged, and then remembered something else. "I also need your help investigating a certain development." This piqued Twilight's interest. "It seems I'm a magic leech. I want to find out how or why. I ask you because you're the expert on magic."

"Hmm... Interesting...You wouldn't mind coming down to the lab to run some tests, would you?" Twilight asked as her eyes sparkled with eagerness and excitement.

"Maybe later. I still have things to do. But you may come to my ship later today. " Samus said. She got up and left the library, leaving a disappointed Twilight behind. "Later."

Samus walked until she reached her ship and entered. Picking up some tools and materials, she put herself to dismantle part of the ship. Equipping her armor again, she proceeded to check on the fission reactor. Upon running a more throughout scan, she saw what had happened with it. She unplugged all wires and tubes connected to the reactor, and let it cool for a bit. She returned to the ship's computer and ran an energy distribution analysis to check her theory.

Surely enough, the reason the reactor was busted was because it overloaded when giving the kinetic shock absorbers for the ship enough energy to withstand the 'landing'; the crash was far more violent than she initially thought. The energy cell almost drained just keeping the reactor from exploding. It was no wonder her ship suffered a lot less than it should have. However, the boosters were still damaged, as was the Medical Bay. With so little power left in the energy cell, it was only a matter of time before the Ammunition Factory became unusable too.

Things weren't looking too good for the hunter-class gunship.

And yet here she was, picking tools and material to try to repair the main boosters of her ship. After disassembling both boosters, she began to weld the damaged parts that were still usable. She was surprised to see so little to be useless; enough scrap metal would work wonders in repairing the missing parts of the boosters. As Samus worked on her ship, she occasionally checked the target in her visor's map to see if the changeling stopped moving or not.

A few hours later, Land Scout, Iron Shield and Cloud Zapper arrived at the crash site. Land Scout walked with normalcy, while Cloud Zapper had an expression of embarrassment plastered on his face. Samus, just finished with boosters repairs, unequipped her Power Suit and jumped from her perch to greet the guards.

"Hello, Samus. Are you busy?" asked Land Scout.

"No, I just finished for today."

"Good. I went to town and talked with Twilight. As you can see, Cloud Zapper is fine, and we got the recipe to cure petrification from Zecora."

"Man, I can't believe I got bested by a chicken." Cloud Zapper said with his hoof over his eyes "A chicken!"

"We all have our moments." Iron Shield said, trying to cheer his fellow pegasus "At least you didn't get bested by a turtle." this earned him a glare from Samus. "Anyway, we just came to inform Samus about your wellbeing, so let's go back to Canterlot, kid."

"Yeah..." both pegasus took off, leaving the earth pony and the human alone.

"Lt. Iron Shield was informed of our mission. He has faith in you, but would still like to get you some assistance." Land Scout said after a moment of awkward silence. "I was also ordered to assist you in any way I can. I brought some of my maps, if it is any help." Land Scout took out several furled maps from his saddlebag and offered them to Samus.

Samus equipped her armor again, and took the maps to scan them. Since the maps had a better detailing of the land, as well as some notes written on them by Land Scout, they proved to be a lot better than the ones at the library. She updated her information, now with the names of the places she would travel.

"Thanks. These will help a lot." said Samus as she returned the maps.

"Glad to help. You'll need all the help you can get if you are going to infiltrate the changelings hive. At the very least-"

"WHAT?!" a blue blur landed just on front of Samus. It was Rainbow Dash. "You're going to fight the changelings?"

"Not exactly, she's-" Land Scout tried to explain, but was interrupted again.

"WHAT?!" this time it was Twilight, who was just arriving at the scene and had heard Rainbow's outburst. Spike was just behind her. "Why would you do that?"

"As I was trying to-"

"Yeah, that's what he said." Rainbow Dash pointed at Land Scout.

Twilight turned to the accused stallion. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Silence!" yelled Samus. Everyone complied. "I'm on a rescue mission. I'll be avoiding fights."

"Ooh! Ooh! Are you going to use your spark shooter?" asked an excited Rainbow Dash "You said it was to paralyze enemies, right? I mean, I don't think you have anything tame in that suit, do you?"

Samus opened her mouth to answer, but realized the pegasus tomboy was right. "Hmm..." She then began fidgeting with the cannon's buttons. Four small rods came from the cannon and ignited an orange flame. After a bit more tinkering, the flame died and gave place to a purple ball of electricity. Samus then approached Rainbow Dash and gave her a little jab with the ball in her cannon's muzzle. The mare fell to the ground and convulsed for a couple of seconds before losing consciousness, twitching every now and then. She scanned for life signs, and was unsurprised to see Dash was fine. "Wave Taser is a success." The other two ponies and dragon just looked at her with incredulity.

"What the hay did you just did?" asked an increasingly angry Twilight.

"Just trying out her suggestion. This suit _does_ lack any immobilizing tools. Be sure to give her my thanks when she wakes up." Upon seeing Twilight still seething with anger, she added. "She'll be fine. It's just a little electricity; human police forces use that all the time!"

Knowing her friends was going to be okay, Twilight calmed a little. "You could still have asked first. That could've been dangerous!"

"It wasn't. And consider us even; her turtle dropped a rock on me."

Twilight was about to argue, but ultimately decided against it. "Ugh, fine!"

Land Scout cleared his throat to remind everyone present of _his_ presence. "Good to see you having some semblance of restraint. As I was saying, I came to assist you in any way possible. As you may have noticed, I'm not entirely comfortable letting you go to the changeling swarm _alone_. I can provide additional information about your surroundings, you know."

"Let's say you go with me. We find a changeling and it charges at you. During the struggle, it transforms into you. I have no way of telling who is who. How do you suggest we proceed?"

"I wou-"

"I risk shooting you, and I fail. You're dead. I could leave you to your luck, but then the changeling alerts the others if it escapes. Or if you defeat it and follow me, how would I know it's the real you?"

"..."

"That's why I insist on going alone. But don't fret, I'll be coming to you later. There _is_ something I'll need your help with."

"...I understand." Land Scout said dejectedly "But don't hesitate to ask for any more help. I'll be hanging around Ponyville for a while with Iron Shield, once he comes back." Samus nodded in understanding. Land Scout turned around and began walking away. "Later, Samus. Later Twilight. Later, Spike."

"Bye." both dragon and mare said at the guard. Once he was gone, Twilight turned to Samus. "Now, you said something about magic leeching?"

"Yes. I seemed to absorb magic whenever they use it on me. Could you try levitating me? Tell me whenever you feel something."

"Well, okay." Twilight's horn began glowing, and that same glow surrounded Samus. A few seconds later, Twilight gasped. "There! I can feel how you start absorbing my magic!"

Indeed, the moment Twilight noticed her energy being leeched, Samus's energy tanks began filling slowly. The magical grasp ended and Samus landed on the ground. She then unequipped the Power Suit and told Twilight to repeat the process. After a few seconds, Twilight felt another tug on her magic. This time, however, she got different results.

"Hmm... I felt the same tug on my magic, but it lasted less than a second. It seems you need your suit to keep leeching magic." Twilight informed. She put a hoof on her chin and began thinking.

"So... you're like a magic vampire? You suck magic?" asked a confused Spike.

"Looks like it." answered the huntress "Just like a met..." Samus's eyes went wide with realization. "Just like a metroid..." she whispered.

Twilight and Spike looked at each other, then at Samus. "A what?"

"Nothing. I'll tell you after I've confirmed my theory." Twilight was about to speak, but Samus beat her to it. "I need to borrow your books for a bit." Samus rushed towards the library, leaving Twilight and Spike behind.

"What's up with her?" Spike asked. Twilight simply shrugged. "Anyway, what are we going to do with _her_?" said Spike while pointing at the unconscious Rainbow Dash.

OXOXO

Twilight and Spike reached the library, a knocked out blue pegasus mare in the former's back. The sight that welcomed them was that of a studious armored woman reading with several books piled on the library table. Upon closer inspection, they could see all books were about magic.

"Twilight." Samus said, catching the attention of both unicorn and dragon. "Am I correct in assuming the magic you use is your own life force?"

"Oh! Yes, my magic comes from within me. It's part of who I am. All creatures posses magic, but it is unicorns, with the aid of their horn, the ones that can directly manipulate it. Basically, we control our own energy just like we would another appendage." explained Twilight in her 'lecture' tone.

"That's what I thought." Samus said while nodding.

"Um... I have a question, if you don't mind." Spike began "You said you were going to a rescue mission, right?" Samus nodded. "Who are you rescuing?"

"A group of ponies. We think it's the changeling's doing. We were sent to investigate the forest and were attacked by them. My mission is to go to their hive and rescue the prisoners."

"Changelings?" worried Twilight "And you have to rescue _several_ ponies? How do you plan to do that?"

"Easy. I clear the coast, and the guards escort the prisoners. I was going to ask Applejack to help with the escort. Herding skills and all that."

"I see you have this all planned."

"Of course."

A groan brought the attention of all conscious beings; Rainbow Dash was coming around. She took a seating position and rubbed her head. "What happened? Why do I feel so numb?" Twilight gave Samus a disapproving glare.

"I zapped you." Samus answered. She couldn't avoid smirking at that comment; maybe she _did_ have some hard feelings for the turtle thing. Good thing she had her helmet on.

"Huh?" was Rainbow Dash's intellectual reply.

OXOXO

Samus found herself walking around Ponyville, looking for Land Scout. The walk would've been a pleasant one if her tag-along wasn't a hyperactive stunt flyer. Rainbow Dash couldn't be still for more than a few seconds, and it was starting to grate the huntress's already low patience. Why, oh why did Twilight have to mention her mission? Now the hero-wannabe wouldn't stop pestering her.

As if to counter her companion's annoying presence, Samus found Land Scout buying some apples from Applejack's stand in the market, the two ponies she was looking for.

"Oh, hello, Samus" greeted Land Scout "How may I help you?"

"I'd like to sit down and talk with you. And you, too." Samus said, pointing at Applejack "I think I'll take on your offer of help."

"Of course, sugarcube. Just let me close an' ah'll be with you in a jiffy." replied the farm pony, moving to close her stand for the day. Once finished, she followed Samus, Rainbow Dash and Land Scout to a small café, where they could talk. "Now, what you need help with?"

"We believe a group of ponies has been foalnapped by changelings." answered Land Scout. This brought a serious expression to the farmer's face.

"Right." commented Samus "Here's the plan: I'll go check if my information is correct. In case it is and there are captive ponies, I'll go and clear the coast from any dangers. Once I consider the place to be safe, I'll send a signal. That's the cue for you to go and round the ponies and return them to safety. I ask you because Land Scout is an excellent guide, and Applejack has a lot of experience with herding large groups. Those skills will come in handy."

Applejack nodded twice, as if processing the information she just received. "That's a mighty good plan, I reckon. I'll ask Big Mac to cover for me. One question, though. Why is Rainbow Dash here?"

Samus gave a defeated sigh. "She heard about the mission and wants to tag along. She'll be your problem during the mission." She turned to the blue mare. "Listen well. I will go _alone_. You just wait for the signal and help with the escort."

"But-"

"Numbers are dangerous when dealing with shape-shifters. If I see you, I'll blast you to pieces." Rainbow Dash gulped. "Good to see you understand."

"So I take it you're ready, then?" asked the guard.

"Yes. The tracker indicates the changeling has stopped near Whitetail Woods, according to Land Scout's map. I've yet to determine if the swarm is there or he's just taking a rest. Either way, we depart tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. to follow his trail. There is a small town called Marelin nearby. That's where you'll wait for my signal." explained Samus.

"Hoo wee! It's been a while since I last visited Marelin." commented Applejack. "We can settle in my cousin Golden Delicious's home for the time. Ah'm sure he won't mind."

"Excellent. Now, Land Scout, I need you to send a message to Luna and Celestia. Tell them to send a small squad of guards to Marelin and stand by. As Celestia said, we need to keep this mission from public ears, so the squad will have to avoid attention." Land Scout nodded at the huntress's orders. "Good. Meet me at my ship tomorrow at 6:45 a.m. Until then..." Samus waved two fingers and left the group.

OXOXO

Samus was sitting in a lotus position with her chin resting in her palm, pondering about the dilemma in front of her. A broken fission reactor and an almost empty energy cell rested in front of her. The fission reactor was still extremely hot, and it would take a lot more time just for it to cool down. On the plus side, losing temperature meant it no longer risked blowing up, taking half of Ponyville with it.

The issue was the energy cell. Was it better to compromise her suit's energy to charge it up and let the generator do the rest, leaving her suit with very little energy for the mission? Or should she opt for conserving energy and risk emptying the cell completely, making it useless? The obvious choice for her the former, but just how much energy would the cell require?

Her ship had an interesting way of functioning. It had an energy cell that powered her ship and all electronic systems and appliances within it, a generator used to keep the cell from depleting, and a fission reactor for when she needed extra power. The generator required a lot of energy, almost a full energy cell, to start working, but once it did it could refill the energy cell whenever it started to deplete. The generator/energy cell combo was enough to power her ship and keeping it working forever, if need be; they used the energy recycle principle. The problem came when the ship needed extra energy for auto-repairs and shielding. If they took too much energy, the cell would deplete faster than the generator would fill it, leaving it empty; and without the required energy input, the generator would eventually stop working too. This is the problem she now faced: the generator was offline and the energy cell lacked enough energy to power the generator.

The reason ships carried a fission reactor, which were powered and sustained with afloraltite, was for the energy spikes that would, normally, instantly deplete the energy cell for when the hyperdrive was initiated. It also provided back-up power for shielding and repairing. They were essentially useless if one didn't plan in space travel and if the ship didn't suffer colossal damage.

Sadly, those were both Samus's cases. The ship used a lot more energy than the cell could have provided in the crash, and so it switched the power incomes; and she would also eventually need to activate hyperdrive if she were to reach any planet before she died of old-age in her travels.

To summarize her situation, she needed to give the energy cell enough energy to power the generator, then repair the reactor once it was cold enough, and finally find enough afloraltite (or a good-enough substitute) to start it up.

Repairing the reactor was easy; she'd done so before numerous times before. The problem was the energy cell. She was sure her suit had enough energy to charge the cell to meet the generator's demand; her ship would start working properly as long as she didn't use _too much_ energy. If she did that, however, she didn't know how much energy would remain on her suit; by tomorrow morning the ship would still not have enough power to recharge her suit.

After a long meditation, she decided to go with it. Solve a problem before it becomes unsolvable, the Chozo used to say. The cons could be ignored if she put extra attention to her surroundings and avoid any unnecessary damage. Besides, she had ammo to spare, and she hasn't yet encountered anything that could deal extensive damage.

Acting on her decision, Samus stood up and activated her Power Suit. From the round jewel on her left hand, a whip composed of purple electromagnetic energy was swung toward the energy cell and latched onto it. Using the Grapple Voltage feature in her Grapple Beam, Samus began draining her own energy tanks and began energizing her ship's energy cell.

After a few minutes, Samus retracted the beam. She opted to give the energy cell a bit more than necessary to start the generator. This had cost her more energy than she initially thought, leaving her with little less than one tank and a half worth of energy left.

She picked the cell and took it to the hatch. Since the ship had no power because the cell was not in place, the elevator/hatch was going to be used manually. Samus unequipped her suit and grabbed the top of the hatch. With all her strength, she pulled herself, along with the hatch inside the ship. Once inside, she proceeded to plug the energy cell and start the generator. If her calculations were correct, it would require a little more than two days for her ship to start functioning properly and be able to start the auto-repair functions.

Done for today, Samus decided to do some more repairs to the Medical Bay. She grabbed her tools and began working. She had nothing better to do, so why not accelerate the process a bit? She worked until sundown, when she decided it was enough and went to sleep.

OXOXO

6:38 a.m.

Samus was making some flexes, awaiting the arrival of the ponies in charge of escorting rescued ponies to safety. She had checked her tracker twice, and both times gave the same result. It appeared the changeling had reached the swarm. When she felt she was ready, she equipped her Power Suit for one last check-up. 148 energy units, 204 missiles, and 224 ammo; she'd need to be careful, that couldn't be stressed enough.

A few minutes later, two earth ponies, one wearing a Stetson and the other full-body royal armor, arrived at the meeting point. After exchanging greetings, the huntress asked for the rainbow-maned pegasus.

"If ah know her well enough, she'll be late and will come rushing at us." answered the cowpony.

"I said 'meet me at my ship at 6:45 a.m.', if she doesn't arrive by 6:55, we leave without her." sternly said the huntress "Are you two ready and prepared?"

"Of course!" Applejack answered by taking out a rope and swing it rodeo style.

"I am." answered Land Scout, also making some last-minute check-up on his armor, maps, saddlebags, and dagger.

"Excellent. We are all ready. Now, I'll be showing you what the signal will look like." Samus aimed her cannon at a nearby tree and fired an ice missile. Upon impact the missile exploded, but instead of a wrecked tree, there stood a frozen one. "This is an ice missile. When they are charged with the diffusion missiles, they create a large explosion of ice. Once I have secured the prisoners, I'll fire one of these at the sky. Wherever you see the blast, that's where we'll be. Be on the lookout for the explosion."

"So you clear the place and fire when ready. We take the squad waiting for us in Marelin to where the blast was seen. Got it." confirmed Land Scout.

"Good. We'll leave in three minutes; if Rainbow Dash doesn't arrive, she's out." Both ponies nodded in understanding, though Applejack looked a bit worried.

And so the three minutes passed. Seeing no sign of the pegasus, Samus began walking east, where Whitetail Woods awaited. With one last glance back, both earth ponies followed. They began their trek through the fields. Several minutes later, a yell could be heard.

"Waaaaaaait!" Rainbow Dash, just like Applejack said, rushed towards them. "Phew! I made it. Ready, everypony?"

"You're late." was Samus's harsh reply.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had stuff to do."

"Yeah, like sleeping." Applejack snickered. Rainbow Rash just gave her a menacing look.

"Whatever. Now that you're here, we might as well continue." Samus turned back to her intended destination, always keeping an eye at the tracker signal.

OXOXO

Several hours later, the group arrived at the entrance of Marelin, welcoming new travelers with a colorful sign. Or at least it would be welcoming if two stallions weren't currently washing some ugly graffiti off it.

Not wanting to draw any more attention than necessary, Samus decided to leave the group here and continue on her way. She was about to tell the ponies to stay here when a loud cheering was heard. All four rescuers turned their attention to a somewhat large group of ponies, all cheering for the blue mare bowing on a makeshift stage. Among the crowd, four armored ponies could be seen enjoying the show.

The mare in the stage was wearing a black top hat and magician's vest, along with a red bowtie. She had a strand of bluish silver hair coming from beneath the hat. Her cutie mark, which was also drawn on the two pole flags on each side of the stage, was that of a wand leaving a trail of magic dust. "Thank you! Thank you, my beautiful audience! You are too kind. But save your energy for the grand finale! Wanda's Magic Show is sure to knock you off your hooves!" The mare said in a stage-voice with a wide grin, apparently oblivious to the four newcomers.

"Wanda's magic Show?" Rainbow Dash questioned when she took a better look at the magician.

"Hey, isn't that-?" Applejack was about to ask.

"It's Trixie!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash "What's _she_ doing here?"

"You know her?" asked Samus.

"Yup. She showed up in town a while back, boasting and causing trouble. She was eventually showed up by Twilight." answered Applejack.

"I see."

"I think I'll leave you two for now. I have spotted the guards and will proceed to inform them of the plan. Excuse me." Land Scout said while he walked toward the other guards.

"Two?" both Samus and Applejack asked and looked around. Indeed, the rainbow pegasus was not with them.

"Where the hell is Rainbow Dash?" asked an increasingly annoyed Samus. Applejack eyes went wide, and she pointed a hoof at the stage. Samus turned to look and saw Rainbow Dash pushing a small storm cloud over the stage.

"Now, if any volunteers would like to come to stage to grace Wanda's Magic Show with their presence, it would be-" 'Wanda' stopped speaking when she noticed the shadow of a cloud on the floor. When she looked up to see what was happening, a small lightning struck her flank, making her yelp and jump in shock. As soon as her hooves touched the ground, the cloud unleashed a downpour just on her. All the ponies in the audience went silent.

"How's _that_ for payback?" mocked Rainbow Dash. "Ponyville says 'hi', oh 'Great and Powerful Trixie'." She then proceeded to lie on the cloud in a fit of laughter.

Trixie just stood there and began hyperventilating for a moment, before her breaths started to steady to deep, tranquilizing breaths. After a few moments, she calmed herself, though a few ticks were visible in her forelegs. She did her best to ignore the mocking laughter of the pegasus and addressed her beloved audience.

With a slightly shaky voice, Trixie began speaking. "I-I'm really sorry, everypony. Please forgive my weakness, because I'm unable to perform when _some_ ponies are intent on ruining my show. I apologize to those who were eager to see the grand finale." That said, she used her magic to start picking the parts of the stage and putting them in some boxes in a small pulling wagon. The crowd started to protest, but she ignored them. Once everything was stored and packed, Trixie pulled the small wagon and began walking toward the village proper.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, almost doubled her laughter. She stopped laughing when a pebble hit her in the head. She turned to see that the crowd was not booing at Trixie, but at her! In fact, she could see some foals trying and failing to convince 'Wanda' to resume her show.

"What a jerk!/What's her problem?/Get out of Marelin, you bully!/How could you be so cruel?" Rainbow Dash heard all types of negative comments directed at her. The worst part of all was not once did Trixie acknowledged her. She just packed and left, leaving her with an angry mob of ponies. With nothing left to do, she went back to Samus and Applejack. Since all the angry ponies were following her, she practically led them to where Samus was. The villagers, at the sight of the huntress, began to panic.

"It's one of them! They're back!" yelled one of the villagers.

"Protect the foals!/Why are they back?/You won't harm this village any more, you fiend!"

"CALM YOURSELVES, PONIES OF MARELIN" ordered one of the royal guards present. It was a unicorn, and he was apparently using magic to enhance his voice. The villagers all stopped their panic at sight and voice of the royal guard.

"Thank you." Samus recognized Land Scout as the speaker this time. "Please, there is no reason to be afraid. Samus..." he pointed at the person in question "...is not here to cause any harm. Now, may I ask what got you all so riled up?"

"It was a group of teenage dragons." A tan colored earth pony stallion spoke up. His mane was black and his cutie mark was three yellow apples. "They came and began vandalizing the town. Fortunately some mare called 'Silvermane' drove them away. We are still recovering from the damage they made." Land Scout nodded in understanding.

"Cousin Golden!" exclaimed Applejack. "Howdy!"

The stallion turned to see the new speaker, and instantly lit his features. "Cousin Applejack! What a surprise!" While the two cousins talked, Land Scout and the rest of the guards sorted thing with the villagers.

Once order was restored, each pony returned to their business and Applejack returned to Samus. As soon as they were left alone, Samus forcefully brought her fist down on Rainbow Dash's head.

"OW! What gives?"

"You idiot!" fumed the huntress "What did I tell you about avoiding attention?"

"But it was Trixie, and she-"

"I couldn't possibly care less about your history with that mare. Your reckless actions could have cost us the mission. We are _very_ lucky to have Land Scout and the guards intervene for me, because I wasn't planning on blasting my way through a mob of angry villagers. Your mere presence is a danger here, thanks to that little stunt of yours, so I want you... No, I _order_ you to go back to Ponyville. You will only hinder progress if you stay. "

"What? You can't do that!" argued Rainbow Dash.

"Don't even think of disobeying, because if you do, I swear losing a wing will be the least of your worries. That recklessness will get you or someone else killed someday." threatened a furious Samus. Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack for support, but got nothing.

"Sorry, sugarcube, but I hafta agree with Samus here. That act you made was just plain rude. As much as I hate to admit, Trixie's little show was bringing a bright smile to a lot of ponies. After what the town has been through, taking away their cheerful entertainment will only get you scowls from these townsfolk."

"Go. NOW!" barked Samus. Rainbow Dash just looked at the two of them, before letting out an angry growl and dashing away back to Ponyville.

"Mighty sorry about that. Dash can be a little reckless at times." The apple famer apologized.

After a few deep breaths, Samus responded. "Make sure this to help this town however you can, but keep an eye on the skies for my signal. I'm leaving. Be sure to report to Land Scout every now and then. Later." Samus waved two fingers and left for the woods.

"You can count on me!"

OXOXO

An hour had passed since Samus left Marelin. Had she more energy in her tanks, she would have opted for the less bulky Fusion Suit to aid her sneakiness, but that was not the case. Her progress was slower than usual, as her low energy levels made Samus take more precautions than usual. Since the tracker signal hadn't moved much, that didn't present a problem. In fact, she was about to reach the point that her map indicated the changeling was.

With another extensive look around her surroundings, Samus carefully made her way through some trees, putting extra attention to her stealth. After a few more steps, she started hearing voices. She hid behind a tree and cautiously took a glance towards the direction of the voices.

Samus cursed silently when she saw the changeling she was tracking, identified thanks to the blue gemstone in its silver necklace, talking to 3 other changelings. Specifically, he was talking to two changelings similar to him and one changeling twice his size. The bigger one had more developed wings and a long twisted black horn, as well as a long flowing teal hair. Its most distinctive features were its eyes; whether other changelings had insect-like blue eyes, this one had green eyes with big pupils. What looked like a small black crown with blue orbs rested on its head, though it was hard to tell if it really was a crown or it was just part of its anatomy.

"...a foolish ideal!" Samus heard the big one speaking and assumed it was female, most likely a queen. "I can't risk trying the swarm trying to negotiate. Our species is almost gone as it is."

"But my queen, I've been shown compassion and kindness from their kind. Not all will accept us as quickly as they did with me, but they will eventually." Darkly responded. "I believe that a peaceful coexistence is possible. Many changelings have found a happy life living with the ponies."

"You mean _hiding among_ the ponies. How many of them can walk freely without a disguise?"

"But I walked along them without any disguise! They will learn to accept us!"

The Queen then gave a defeated sigh. "Please understand that I'm doing this with the hive's wellbeing in mind. Ponies are not as understanding as you think."

"I know, my queen. But I beg you, please reconsider. Think about the princess!"

"Keep her out of this. She shares your innocent hopes, but that's it. Maybe in the future..." She gave another sigh. "It seems you won't understand. Fine, then. You will be locked with the ponies and see if any of them gives you a chance." The queen motioned for her two escorts to lock the rebel changeling, who didn't look afraid.

This piqued the huntress's interest; it seemed the missing ponies were nearby. The queen whispered something to the other two changelings, but Samus was unable to her what. That done, the queen turned to leave, and the smaller changelings walked toward a small mountain that was nearby. Needless to say, Samus followed the trio.

The walk was not a long one, though Samus had to keep hidden from the bug ponies. They eventually arrived at a relatively large cave, which entrance had bars locking the ponies inside. Again, Samus could see half were male and half were female, and they all had a pony embraced. By her observations, it could be assumed the changeling only abducted couples.

While one changeling charged its horn with green fire to keep the ponies from escaping, the other one opened the cell's door, pushed Darkly inside and quickly closed it. Their new prisoner secured, one changeling flew away, probably towards the swarm, while the other simply walked away from the locked ponies' sight. It didn't walk too far, as if to be able to reach the cell quickly if any trouble arises.

Her first target was identified.

Still, Samus decided to observe the situation a little more thoroughly. The situation was an interesting one, to say the least. She watched as all ponies gave the changeling dirty looks and hateful gazes. Darkly simply walked, albeit nervously, to one side of the cell. Some ponies took comfort in their loved ones, while others looked ready to attack the changeling. It was only a matter of time before an attempt was made on Darkly. Samus could hear how Darkly was attempting to calm the ponies with civility and how he only wanted peace for both species. She didn't count on the ponies listening to him, though, and she really didn't care.

With her target on sight, and she out of her target's sight, Samus made her move. She cautiously approached the unsuspected changeling making guard. Her arm cannon produces four tiny rods and activated her newly developed Wave Taser. Once she was close enough, she leapt at the changeling guards and zapped it to unconsciousness.

After making sure the guard was out, she took the keys it had and proceeded to the cage. As she expected, some ponies were about to leap at the poor bug pony. Everyone stopped in their tracks when they spotted her. All ponies and changeling looked at her with a mix of fear and confusion. Finally, it was Darkly who spoke first. "What are you doing here?"

"I have come to rescue the missing ponies. I was sent by Celestia." She answered. All the ponies' faces instantly lit up with the news of their rescue.

Samus unlocked the cell and was about to open it when instinct took over and she leapt to her side. A fraction of a second later, a green bolt impacted on the place she was just on. Samus turned to see the changeling queen, horn glowing, hovering a few feet from the ground. Dozens of smaller changeling were flying along with her.

"I hope this little time was enlightening, my young changeling." The queen said to the locked changeling. "Took Celestia long enough to find us. I see she couldn't trust her own guards with a rescue mission." The queen lowered herself and landed on the ground. "I wonder what kind of creature you are. Darkly mentioned something about a 'human'. Is that what you are?"

Samus remained silent.

"Fine, then. Changelings! Prepare to attack!" The queen ordered. All around her, changelings briefly burst into green flames and took the huntress's form.

Or at least they tried. Just like the one before them, the copies lacked the orange bulk of her suit, as well as the helmet and the arm cannon. All the fakes, and the queen, looked panicked at their sudden failure. Whatever that orange thing was, part of it was not alive. The queen was the first to recover and told her troops to be wary.

That was all the time Samus needed to switch from Wave Beam to Battlehammer. She let loose a barrage of heavy-duty exploding shells from her cannon. A few changelings that were hit fell to the ground and stopped moving. The ponies inside the cage, as well as the changelings on the queen's side, all looked in horror and awe at the sheer firepower the human possessed.

The queen looked in despair around her, seeing her beloved changelings drop one-by-one. She erected a magic shield around her drones and ordered them to stop the attack and retreat. Most conscious changelings obeyed and retreated, leaving only the queen and the human to face each other. There were some that lingered to see the fight and take any chance to help their queen or fallen comrades.

The queen's horn began glowing green again. The several changelings lying on the floor were levitated toward the rest. "Take them away and treat the injured." She turned to Samus. "If it's a fight you want, a fight you'll get." Samus responded by aiming her arm cannon at her opponent.

"I have no quarrel with you. Just let me take the ponies and no one else gets hurt." Samus offered.

"Those ponies are our source of nourishment. I'm afraid I can't let them go, for what would we feed on?" countered the queen as she fired another bolt.

"Farming love, I see. Can't say it's a bad idea. You even seem to keep them in good-enough conditions." remarked Samus while dodging the bolt and firing her own weapon.

"Enough!" yelled the queen after barely avoiding the blasts. She took to the air and fired again. "My first priority is to keep my young ones from starving. The ponies' wellbeing is a distant second."

Samus leapt to the side and said nothing; she was done talking. Focusing on the queen, the Hunter let loose a volley of missiles, all homing in on the insectoid ruler. Said ruler's eyes widen when she saw the projectiles following her. Five blasts hit the queen and she fell to the ground, smoking from the explosions. Samus kept her weapon aimed at the downed changeling.

The queen slowly stood up. Her horn was glowing with an almost blinding green. With murderous intent, she unleashed a bolt of green fire at Samus, who attempted to dodge the attack. She was somewhat successful, for she avoided the blast, but not the double kick with flaming hooves the queen delivered following her shot. Samus was sent flying to a nearby tree with enough force to crack the wood and making splinters fly.

As the huntress began to stand up, another concentrated beam from the queen's horn struck her. The attack was a lot stronger than it looked, making Samus fly through the damaged tree. Her energy levels were dangerously low now; she wouldn't survive another attack, physical or otherwise.

The queen fired one last bolt at the human, who instead of standing up as she expected, turned into a ball and rolled out of harm's way. The sudden tactic threw the queen long enough for said ball to glow orange and slam on her side with dangerous velocity and force. On the exact place where the ball impacted on her, a blue glowing orb was left. Before the queen could question what it was, it detonated with a small but powerful explosion.

Samus was already out of Morph Ball mode and switching weapons again. She needed to end this fight quickly, so she switched to one of her most powerful beam weapons: the Annihilator. Her arm cannon elongated and its linings were colored gray. A matter-antimatter black ball with a white glow began forming in the barrel of the cannon, ready to shoot. Using 5 missiles and 60 ammo, Samus unleashed the Sonic Boom.

The queen didn't have time to react; the instant Samus released the shot it struck home. The queen was surrounded with what could only be described as a distortion in the fabric of time and space; the air looked like a cracked glass pane, ripples in reality were visible, and high pitched sound was heard. All this lasted for about three seconds.

Once the reality-distorting energy subsided, the queen became visible once again. She stood, immobile, for what seemed like an eternity to every being watching. Locked ponies, hiding changeling, and battle-ready human all waited for any signal or movement from the changeling ruler. After what seemed like hours, the queen's body fell limp on the ground.

"Queen Chrysalis..." whispered Darkly to himself, as if not believing what he was seeing. Silence ruled all around.

Samus won the fight. She was about to turn to the cage and free the ponies, when she heard the sound of something that would haunt her for a long time: a youngling crying in despair for its mother.

"MOMMY! NOOOOOO!"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Downfall**

"**MOMMY! NOOOOOO!**" a loud, high-pitched voice cried with utmost despair.

Samus turned to see a small changeling that looked like a miniature version of the queen, except her hair and horn were a lot shorter. She struggled for a bit, fighting the restrain other changelings had on her, when she freed herself and flew toward the fallen queen. Other changelings looked hesitant to go aid her, for the huntress was still there.

The changeling princess wept over her unmoving mother. Samus could only stand there and watch as haunting memories resurfaced in her mind. The small princess then turned to look at Samus with the same green eyes of her mother, eyes that burned with anger and confusion at the current events. Those eyes triggered something in Samus, something far worse that anything she ever experienced. Those eyes, Samus thought, were the same as hers. Samus took a step back in shock.

Visions of her mother being cut in half and then being blasted by a monster flashed in Samus's eyes. She saw her father die in an explosion to save the rest of his human companions, only to fail as the massacre around her continued. She saw a proud Chozo, trying his hardest to ensure his brethren's survival, being impaled by a shadowy creature. These memories, however, were not quite those she remembered, for there was a key distinction: instead of a demonic space dragon, she saw a female human grinning evilly. A tall human with blue eyes, a flowing blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and a blue jumpsuit on her body.

She saw herself.

All the anger, the hatred she felt for Ridley was being directed at her with those green eyes. And she, too, was feeling the same for her own person. She had essentially become the same thing she swore to destroy. She became a Ridley in this young princess's eyes.

Not being able to stand the sight before her, Samus looked around. All around her she could see hateful glances belonging to the changelings that had just lost their beloved queen. They all showed intense hatred for her, and yet none of them affected her like their princess did. Samus looked back at the little creature hugging her unmoving mother. She saw how the innocence that once undoubtedly shone in those eyes shattered, never to be recovered. She saw a younger version of herself reflected on those green eyes.

Darkly had gotten out of the cage and was approaching the mourning princess. He barely got near her when she embraced him, crying in his chest and asking why. He started stroking her head, trying to soothe her emotional pain. He glanced at Samus not with hatred, but with disappointment. 'Why did you do this?' asked his mere expression.

His glance brought Samus out of her thoughts and into the present. As hard as this was to take, she still had a mission to complete. As routine dictated, she scanned the changeling queen for any life signs. She was surprised to see her defeated opponent still alive, though just barely.

"Your queen is still alive. Take her away and don't interfere anymore." Samus told the changelings. Her voice was void of any emotion.

All the changelings' faces lit with hope, except the small princess. She turned to Samus again and was about to say something, but Darkly beat her to it. "Thank you." Before the princess could say anything else, he turned to her. "Please be strong, Princess Anis. The hive still needs someone to guide them. There is still hope; maybe something good will come from this."

"But..." she sniffed.

"Never lose hope, princess. No matter what, never lose hope." insisted the older changeling.

She stood still for a few moments, before she sniffed loudly and filled her face with resolve. "Ok." She gave Samus one last rancorous glance, before turning to her fellow changeling. "We can't risk losing any more of us, so we'll leave these ponies." She turned to Samus again. "Go. And don't come back!"

Samus simply nodded her agreement. She opened the cell and ordered the ponies to follow her. They began walking toward Marelin's direction when they heard Darkly speak. "Wait! I'll go with you." This surprised everyone present.

"You can't go!" cried the young princess.

"I have to. I'll make sure to discuss things with the pony princesses. We'll come to an agreement."

"Let me go with you." begged Anis.

"No. You have to stay by the queen's side. I'll come back, I promise."

Princess Anis looked at him with fear, but ultimately nodded her understanding. "You better."

Darkly turned to Samus. "Let's go." And they did.

Samus led the group east, where Marelin was located. She had ordered and threatened anypony to leave Darkly alone; any sign of aggression toward the changeling, no matter how small, would earn a broken leg; after what they saw, no pony dared defy her. After 30 minutes of walking, the group stopped. Samus began charging her Arm Cannon and shot an ice missile skywards, a process she would repeat every hour. The missile flew high in the sky, until it exploded in a big cloud of ice crystals that began raining down, not doing any damage to the life below.

The signal was sent; all they had to do was to wait for the royal escort. Samus told the group of ponies to wait for the guards, and that she was going to look around. She also made sure the threat about Darkly and broken legs was still active.

After a few minutes of walking around, Samus looked around to see if she was alone. Since it appeared so, she deactivated her suit, walked toward one of the many trees, and let loose a shout of pure ire. That shout was accompanied by a punch to the nearest tree. The punch was strong enough that the wood bent and cracked. Several punches followed, punishing the innocent tree with Samus's anger release.

Why? Why was this affecting her so much? She had eradicated countless lives, she had brought extinction to at least 4 different species, she blew up several planets; and none of those events had bothered her nearly as much as this. So, why? Why did one simple insectoid queen, which wasn't even dead yet, cause her so much emotional distress?

It was because of those eyes. Those big, green, innocent eyes that belonged to the changeling princess. The same eyes she had when she witnessed the brutal deaths of her parents, so many years back.

Samus turned around and rested her back on the breaking tree. She let herself slide down until she was slumped on the ground. She stood still like that for who-knows-how long, just thinking and trying to calm herself. After she had calmed herself a bit, she activated her armor and returned to the group of ponies.

The group didn't cause any trouble, thankfully. Ponies and changeling were avoiding interactions between species, which worked fine for Samus. The time was spent in silence, except for the missile launched every hour, until the guards and Applejack finally arrived.

Upon watching the four armored stallions arrive at the scene, Samus told them that the changeling was requesting an audience with the princesses. She also made sure to warn the guards of any violence directed at said changeling; if she knew the changeling was harmed, she would personally make sure none of those guards would be able to walk for the rest of their lives. While the guards didn't really believe her threat, they still made sure to follow her command.

Seeing the guards had everything under control, Samus left the crowd and headed for Canterlot. Applejack was going to follow her, but was ordered by Samus to oversee the escort and made sure the changeling remained unharmed.

In truth, Samus wanted to be alone. The huntress continued her way, engaging the Speed Booster to arrive as soon as possible; the sooner she finished her mission the better.

OXOXO

Samus was being escorted to the throne room, where Celestia currently awaited Samus's arrival. Upon entering the room, the princess asked the guards to leave them. "Welcome back, Samus. Your report?"

"Mission accomplished. Your ponies are now being escorted by the guards I requested, with Applejack as their leader. I've confirmed the identity of every stallion and mare, and they match those in the list given to me. A changeling is also being brought here, as he requested an audience with you." Said the Hunter in the most emotionless voice Celestia had heard her speak since her arrival. "I expect my pay near my ship by tomorrow morning." That said, Samus turned around and proceeded to leave.

"Is everything ok? You look troubled." asked a concerned Celestia. Even if Samus was covered with her armor and helmet, the sun princess could see something was amiss. Samus stopped for a moment, but then continued her way, ignoring any further prying from the white alicorn.

Following the advice Celestia gave her when she first visited the castle, Samus deactivated her Power Suit and went for a stroll in the castle gardens. She still had a lot of stuff to think, and maybe a little walk could help her with that.

She reached the statue garden, just like on her chat with Celestia. As she walked, Samus's thoughts went back to the small changeling princess. If she were to follow the ponies' way of acting and go apologize, what would happen? Would she even have the chance to apologize? Her musings lasted for a while, and she didn't stop walking.

After some time, Samus arrived at the same statue that had played tricks in her mind: the one of the mishmash of different animal parts. For the briefest of moments, she heard the echo of a laugh. Samus looked around, seeing no one.

Deciding that she was going mad, she sat on the ground and adopted a lotus position. Just as her late Chozo caretakers taught her, Samus began to meditate. 'One must train body, mind, and soul to overcome.' Gray Voice used to tell her whenever she blundered in her training.

Sadly, her meditation was backfiring, for her mind returned to horrible memories, new and old. She was going to keep trying when she heard a voice; a voice that she instantly recognized to belong to a self-absorbed snob. She opened her eyes and saw a white unicorn stallion, dressed in a fancy blue vest, walking with two visibly annoyed mares and an even-more-annoyed royal guard. He seemed to pay no mind to his subordinates' discomfort.

"Ugh. What is that horrible creature doing in the royal gardens?" The stuck-up pony asked.

"I believe she is Samus, Prince Blueblood. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna asked for her help with the case of the foalnapped ponies." answered the guard. The mares that were accompanying them stopped looking annoyed and started looking curious when they saw Samus.

"Well, tell her that her job is done and that she may stop ruining this beautiful garden's sight with her presence." ordered the prince.

Before any other pony could say something, Samus stood up and spoke. "Listen, you little snob, I'm _really_ not in the mood to deal with the likes of you, so shut the hell up and fuck off."

"My, what vulgarity. Do you not know who I am? I'm Princess Celestia's beloved nephew, Prince Blueblood. Show some respect, you measly peasant."

Samus tightened her fists. Collecting herself, she breathed deeply and exhaled, somewhat calming herself. Samus turned around and started walking. "You're not worth my time."

Feeling insulted, Blueblood indignantly replied. "You will show the respect I deserve. I'm royalty and should be treated as such." Seeing the human completely ignoring him, he pressed on. "Well, I'll be! What a brutish savage you are. Didn't your parents teach you any manners? I'm certainly not surprised, given how they're most likely even worse than you are."

Samus stopped walking. Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head to face the prince. Her eyes alone were enough to scare off the two mares that had come with the prince.

OXOXO

A few hours earlier...

"Go. NOW!" barked Samus. Rainbow Dash just looked at the two of them, before letting out an angry growl and dashing away back to Ponyville.

"Mighty sorry about that. Dash can be a little reckless at times." The apple farmer apologized.

After a few deep breaths, Samus responded. "Make sure this to help this town however you can, but keep an eye on the skies for my signal. I'm leaving. Be sure to report to Land Scout every now and then. Later." Samus waved two fingers and left for the woods.

"You can count on me!" responded Applejack. She saw Samus leave without another word. "Now let's see what these townsfolk need help with."

Applejack trotted back to Marelin, where some ponies could be seen making some cleaning up or some repairs. A fading rainbow trail, however, caught her attention. Instead of going to Ponyville, the trail led to inner Marelin. This soured the farmer's mood, for it could only mean one thing: Rainbow Dash wasn't heading for Ponyville.

Applejack followed Rainbow Dash into the town. By the way Rainbow Dash was continuously turning her head, Applejack deduced she was looking for something. And knowing Rainbow Dash, it was Trixie.

After some time, Applejack could see Rainbow Dash head for the ground behind a building. She followed her flying friend to the landing point. As she turned the corner, she saw Trixie humoring a couple of fillies with a simple magic trick, wagon on the side. Rainbow Dash began walking with angry steps toward the unicorn. The farm pony decided to stay by the sidelines to see what would happen, ready to jump at the scene if necessary.

"All right, Trixie. What are you up to now?" asked an enraged Rainbow Dash.

Trixie, upon seeing Rainbow Dash, excused herself to the fillies and asked them to go home. Once they had done so, she turned to the rainbow-maned mare behind her. "That's Beatrix to you. What do you want?"

"You may have fooled this entire town, but not me. I know you're up to something." accused Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, her neck glowed magenta and she was pulled down, her face touching the ground. Seeing this act of violence, Applejack prepared to act, but stopped when Trixie began talking.

"Listen well, you little saboteur. I was just performing a show, bothering no pony as far as the audience let me know. You just suddenly come and ruin everypony's fun." Trixie walked closer to the pinned mare. "You mentioned payback. I can only assume you are one of the hecklers from Ponyville that is still bitter about losing. As far as I can remember, I challenged the audience, and you accepted the challenge. Well, let me tell you something: you won't win every challenge; sometimes, you'll lose. Now go; I have had enough of your despicable town and its insufferable residents. Your kind has already done enough damage." Trixie levitated Rainbow Dash and threw her toward Applejack, as if she knew the farmer was there. "I'll deal with your town soon enough. Now go! And don't bother me again, because next time, I won't be nearly as merciful with you."

Rainbow Dash landed in front of Applejack with the grace of a rock. Both mares gave Trixie hateful glances, which the showmare promptly ignored. She simply continued walking away.

"How dare she?"

"That's enough, sugarcube. We best not deal with her kind." Applejack scoffed "An' here Ah thought she had turned a new leaf and start clean. By the way..." the farmer turned to the winged mare "Why didn't you follow Samus's orders?"

"Are you kidding me? I wasn't going to let this chance go to waste."

"Well, Ah suggest you go now. Townsfolk are not looking kindly at you." Indeed, they were receiving ugly glares from some ponies.

"Fine." The pegasus said before flying off.

Applejack decided to spend a bit more time with her cousin Golden Delicious. She looked for him. After she did, they went to a nearby café to catch up.

After some time had passed, Golden excused himself and left Applejack; he had to go back to _his _farm. With nothing better to do, she decided to go and see if any pony needed help with something. As she walked, she began feeling curious about the whole Trixie incident. Wanting to find out more about the ordeal, she asked the first pony she saw why everyone was defending her so much.

"She was bringing enjoyment to this town. We were all eager to see that great finale to Wanda's Magic Show, but your friend had to ruin that for us." was her answer.

"Mighty sorry 'bout that. But Ah'm sure you've heard about the 'Great and Powerful Trixie' incident a while back. Sorry to say, but 'Wanda' just played the lot of you." replied the farmer in a solemn tone.

"What do you take us for? The whole town knows Wanda is that same infamous Trixie. So what? She was giving us a fun show. What more is there to it? I don't know how you Ponyville ponies handle things, but here in Marelin, we at least give ponies the benefit of doubt. The gal was just offering a show, and she delivered. Or at least she was until that rainbow bully came and ruined it. Now if you'll excuse me..." The pony said in an almost rude voice and left Applejack.

"Well, shoot." said the apple farmer. She glanced at the western woods long enough for her to see an explosion far away in the sky. The explosion turned to a cloud of icy wind and a shower of frozen crystals. That was Samus's signal. She wasted no time in informing the guards and heading that way.

OXOXO

Samus was dragging the beaten body of what could be called a pony. Prince Blueblood's limp body had a battered and ripped vest, two broken legs, a cracked horn, black eyes, a bloody snout, and several missing teeth. The two mares from before were helping her carrying the knocked out guard, who sported nothing more than a bump on his head. They had agreed to help after a short explanation from Samus. They headed for the castle nursery, where the mares gently deposited the guard on one of the beds. Samus unceremoniously dropped the prince on the floor, causing him to whimper.

A nurse entered the nursery and gasped when she saw the prince. "What happened?"

"He caught me in a bad mood. Lucky for him I held back."

"Held back? Just look at him! How is that holding back?" asked the crossed nurse.

"Not _all_ of his bones are broken, that's how." Without another word, Samus exited the nursery. She headed for the castle's exit. Equipping her Power Suit and engaging her Speed Booster, she set her destination to Ponyville. More specifically, her ship.

As expected, it only took minutes to reach her ship. Given that it was dysfunctional at the moment (and would continue to be until the next day), Samus wasn't able to enter it. Checking that everything was in order so far, she instead opted to unequip her suit and head to Ponyville. Deciding to kill some time and do some research, she headed for Golden Oak Library.

Samus arrived at the giant hollow tree and entered. For some reason, seeing Spike put her in a better mood, albeit not for much. As always, he was cleaning the library and doing other chores. Twilight was also there, though she was reading a book and barely aware of her surroundings. At the sound of the door closing, Spike noticed the huntress had come to visit.

"Hey, Samus! How you've been?" asked the dragon jovially.

Upon hearing Spike's greeting, Twilight looked up from her book to see that, indeed, Samus had just entered the library. "Hello! So how was the mission?"

"Completed." Samus answered.

Both Spike and Twilight noticed the complete lack of emotion in her voice. Twilight dismissed it as Samus's personality, but Spike didn't. Having spent an afternoon talking with the human, he knew she wasn't as emotionless as she presented herself.

"Is something wrong? You seem upset." asked Spike.

Samus sighed. "It's nothing you can help me with." She was a bit surprised at the baby dragon for reading her so easily. Either she has been losing her touch, or the recent event had affected her more than she thought. "Anyways, I need all the info on changelings you have available."

"Changelings?" questioned Twilight "Were they the ones responsible? Did you encounter them?"

"Yes and yes. I need to do a little research on them, if you don't mind." Samus was starting to sound impatient.

"I'll help you." offered Spike. He and Samus began looking at the books that might hold some information on the subject.

After half an hour, Samus had a pile of 12 books that mentioned the changelings in the indexes. Of those 12, only 4 had real information about them. It was early evening, so Samus decided to stay and read the books; besides, her ship still needed another day to fully recharge. With a plan in mind, her helmet materialized on her head and she began reading.

OXOXO

Morning came, and with it, the last pages of the last book Samus was reading. While she was not surprised at her findings, she was still disappointed. Out of the four books she read, three had basically classified the changeling as 'evil parasites that fed on love'. The other book did go a little deeper, mentioning several theories about their nourishment and the possibility of coexistence with them. It was interesting to see how they need not 'leech' the feeling if it was given to them voluntarily, according to one of the author's theories. Samus recalled Darkly saying something along those lines, though she wasn't sure.

Samus finished reading the book and reported her findings on her research logbook. Her helmet vanished, and she went outside. Twilight and Spike had both went to sleep late at night, so they were still asleep. Samus saw it was early in the morning, so she decided to walk around town and see if anything interesting happened.

Since it was still early, few ponies were up, but Samus spotted Big Mac walking around town, pulling a wagon with a couple of barrels. She waved a hand in acknowledgement, and the stallion did the same with his hoof. Neither said anything and continued with their day.

Given that the town was still pretty much asleep, and it was still a few hours before her ship became usable, the huntress had a little change of plan and started exploring Ponyville. She still wasn't all that familiar with its layout, and she wanted to see if something caught her attention; something that didn't interest Twilight enough to consider on her tour through Ponyville.

As she walked by, she spotted a shop that sold quills and sofas. It was unusual, but nothing too interesting. The next shop, a clock shop, wasn't unusual at all, but somehow caught Samus's attention. She went in, glad that it was open at that hour. She looked around, taking in the peculiar style of some of the pieces there. Most clock were what anyone would expect, but others were made from recycled materials and made for some unique designs.

While clocks were simple machines, Samus had always had a certain fascination with the inner workings of machines; cogs and gears and all that. The style that dominated most clocks in the shop made her remember Sky Town in Elysia.

Sadly, memories quickly went toward Ghor, and how she had to kill him. Same for Rundas and Gandrayda. That last was especially horrible, seeing her extend her arm in help just to die not two seconds later with her face contorted in fear.

"May I help you?" The voice interrupted her train of thought, and Samus turned to see a brown earth pony with spiky backwards mane and an hourglass cutie mark. "Oh, you're that... What was it?... Human! You're the human the mayor introduced the other day! Sams, or something. So, anything caught your fancy?"

"Samus." she corrected "I was just browsing. Did you build these?"

"Yes I did. I sometimes go to Ponyville's junkyard and look for some pieces that I can use in my clocks. It makes for the most exotic pieces, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... May I ask where this junkyard is? I think I'll look for some pieces myself." asked an interested Samus.

"Of course. It is a mile and a half northeast from Ponyville. It is not overly big, mind you. You'll only find some scrap metal and wood. Maybe some old building materials"

"That's okay. I'll see what I can find."

"Most excellent. Maybe we'll see each other! My name is Time Turner, by the way." the stallion offered a smile.

"Samus Aran." said the huntress. They gave each other a hand/hoof shake. "I think I'll be leaving. Thank you for your help."

"Come back anytime!" Samus exited the clock shop and decided to go explore the junkyard. Who knows what she could find there?

As always, her walk was uneventful. She arrived at the junkyard, which was a bit bigger than what she would expect from a village like Ponyville. She wandered through the junkyard, picking up something and examining it every now and them. There were some pieces she could use in case her ship lacked the materials to fully repair the boosters, as well as enough metal to build a small robot (she had wanted to build her own Tinbot ever since she first visited Elysia). This place definitely deserved a second visit.

After spending enough time in the scrap-filled place, Samus decided to go check if her payment had arrived. She walked while thinking on how to build her robot and trying to forget yesterday's events. Once she arrived at the crash site, she spotted a couple of chests decorated with the royal insignia. She opened them and verified they were full of golden coins.

Payment received and secured, Samus returned to Ponyville to find something to eat. She found the café she visited while briefing Land Scout and Applejack of the mission. She made a mental note to visit Applejack tomorrow to make sure everything was fine.

She ordered some fries and a strawberry smoothie. After almost choking on her fries, Samus asked if the hay could be replaced with potatoes. The waiter reluctantly took her order. This strange suggestion earned her some weird glances from other customers, which she promptly ignored. Samus liked potatoes.

After she finished eating and paid for her food, Samus headed for the library. Her ship would finish recharging after a few hours, which would be spent in her studies. When she reached the library and told Twilight of her plan, the purple mare wasted no time in gathering books and handing them to Samus. Twilight also warned Samus that she will make some tests for Samus to answer. The huntress didn't complain, actually grateful for the distractions; she wanted to forget the events with the changelings.

OXOXO

"And the 'Come to Life' spell was mostly designed by...?" asked Twilight.

"Starswirl the Bearded. Just like the past 8 answers have been 'Starswirl the Bearded'." deadpanned Samus.

"Oh... Really? I haven't noticed."

"I'm done. My ship finished charging an hour ago. If you need anything, and try not to, look for me in my ship." Samus stood up and left, ignoring any comment from Twilight's part. Spike had gone over to help Rarity with gem hunting, so he wasn't present.

After arriving at her home and mode of transport, Samus opened the hatch and entered her ship. The first thing she did was check the systems. Everything was in order, so she went to the next thing, damage report: not as good as she hoped, but not as bad as she expected. The Medical Bay still needed some more minor repairs, as did the boosters. The Ammo Factory was in top shape, at least.

Check-up done, Samus reloaded all missiles and ammo to top capacity. She instructed the ship to commence the Auto-Repair functions, which should be finished before sundown. She gave the Medical Bay top priority. After that, Adam made himself known.

"Welcome back, lady."

"How long until the Medical Bay is functional? The suit took a beating and needs to refill its energy tanks."

"It should take 51 minutes to become usable again. Damages aren't that severe, and the repairs you made helped accelerating the process."

"Good. I'll go outside. Call me when it's ready."

"Roger."

Samus went outside. Things were finally looking up for her ship. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for her psyche; the look the little changeling princess gave her was almost enough to shatter her spirit.

OXOXO

_Samus Aran's Log, entry 019:_

_The mission was a success, but it came at a terrible price. The possible death of the changeling queen brought a lot of distress for the young princess. Princess Anis -I think that's how Darkly called her- made quite an impression in me. From what I could see, she is a strong character with a lot of love for her people, and yet she is still a child. A child that may or may not have seen her mother killed in front of her. The eyes she looked at me with were the same eyes I had when Ridley murdered my entire colony. _

_I have become what I swore to destroy, and I honestly fear how this will affect me in the future. I wonder... What would Gray Voice do in my situation?_

OXOXO

Samus sat, once again, in the lotus position. Meditation was a technique she rarely used, and yet she had attempted it twice in two days. The legendary Hunter was at a loss of what to do. Should she try and get over it? Should she try going to apologize to the changeling princess?

That last question brought on other questions. Just how forgiving were the changelings? The queen mentioned something about their species being almost gone; were the changelings on the verge of extinction? How will they cope with the loss of their queen? Has Samus eradicated yet another species?

As she continued with her inner debate, Adam's voice sounded in her ear. "The Medical Bay is ready. You may use it whenever you wish, lady."

"Thanks, Adam. Prepare it immediately; I'm going in now."

"Roger."

Samus stood up and entered her ship. She equipped her armor and entered the Medical Bay. The energy tanks in her suit were being quickly filled. Once her suit was in optimal conditions again, she exited the bay and deactivated her Power Suit. All that was left was for her ship to finish repairing the boosters and she would be able to do some flying tests.

It was still early, but Samus was both physically and emotionally drained, so she decided to go to sleep. Tomorrow she would visit Applejack and ask about the rescued ponies. Hopefully, everything went well. She would also go to Canterlot to visit Darkly and maybe even sort this whole event.

OXOXO

Samus awoke with a jump, breathing heavily. She had a horrible nightmare, but with the exception of a pair of misty green eyes, she couldn't remember what it was. Whatever it was, though, it was dreadful enough to wake the Hunter. Looking outside the ship's window, she deduced it was early morning.

"Oh good, you're awake. Welcome to the waking world, [_hunter name here_]. It is [_time and date here_]. I wish you had a restful and sleepful sleep. Should we begin testing the ship?" Adam's voice sounded wrong. Instead of the masculine voice her A.I. companion had, this voice sounded like a female instructor of sorts. Somehow, Samus could detect a slight psychopathic tint in the ship's new voice.

"I'm going out." The Hunter declared with a confused frown.

"Fantastic. Have fun with your testing. Do try the cake. It's moist and delicious."

Samus exited the ship, still confused over what just happened. As she planned yesterday, her first destination was Sweet Apple Acres. She took the road to the apple orchard, which wasn't far from her ship. As she neared the farm, Samus could hear the frustrated and angry voice of Applejack.

"**AH, FOR PETE'S SAKE. WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON HERE?!**"

Samus quickened her step, ready to help the farmer. She when arrived, she had to pause and make a double take at the sight that awaited her. Instead of an apple orchard, as she expected, Samus came to what could only be called a cucumber orchard; every apple the trees were supposed to have had been replaced with cucumbers. And as far as Samus knew, cucumbers weren't supposed to grow on trees.

"What happened here?" asked the dumbfounded huntress.

"That's what Ah wanna know. My precious apples..." mourned the apple farmer.

Before any of the blondes could comment further, a rainbow-maned pegasus fell just in front of where they were.

"Oof. What the hay?" murmured Rainbow Dash as she picked herself up. Samus noticed one of her eyes was starting to swell.

"What happened to you? Did you crash in a building?" asked Applejack.

"Not quite. More like crashed with a cloud. A cloud made of lead."

"wut?"

"Yeah! I was going to clear this cloud, but it was made of lead. It then started to rain bolts and screws."

"You guys are not making any sense." commented Samus.

Just then, Twilight materialized beside them. "Girls, it's an emergency! Princess Celestia needs us in Canterlot as soon as possible. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy are already on their way to the train. You should come too, Samus."

"Hold up, sugarcube. What's happening?" asked an increasingly worrying Applejack, as if she already knew the answer.

"It's... It's..." struggled Twilight.

"Yes?"

"It's Discord. He's back."

Samus tensed a little when she saw the color all but drained from both Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

OXOXO

A Hunter-class gunship flew toward Canterlot. Having been briefed by the ponies about this Discord character, Samus wasted no time in ordering Twilight and Rainbow to summon the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to her ship. All six ponies and human were now riding the gunship and heading toward Canterlot Castle, where Celestia awaited. The ship was now a bit crowded, but Samus was glad the repairs had ended in optimal results.

As the ship neared the castle, a group of guards gathered to face the new threat. It wasn't until Spearhead arrived that he recognized the ship and ordered the guards to stand by. The ship landed, and one by one, the ponies exited via the hatch. Once all six mares and one armored human were out, Spearhead motioned for them to follow.

They wasted no time in reaching the throne room, where Celestia was anxiously pacing around. Once she saw her heroes, she calmed a bit and greeted them. Spearhead left the room on the princess's orders.

"I have terrible news." the Sun Goddess started "I'm afraid Discord has been freed once again. I summoned you here to ask for your help. Equestria needs you to wield the Elements yet again. Please follow me, there's no time." Celestia walked out of one of the doors, quickly followed by six mares and one human.

Their destination was Canterlot Tower, home of the Elements of Harmony. They walked along a corridor, which was decorated with majestic windows and fancy pillars. At the end of the corridor was a double door with a slot in the middle.

As they walked, Samus noticed the stained glass windows and how they portrayed some of the legends she read in her studies. The one that caught her attention was one where crude pictures of Celestia and Luna circled a weird creature, a creature that seemed familiar to her.

"We're here." said Celestia "The Elements are just behind this door. I'll open it for-"

"Honey! I'm home!" a bodyless male voice interrupted the Sun Princess. Every pony present in the room jumped in surprise at the voice. Samus began looking around, searching for the source and ready to blast anything remotely resembling a threat.

"Discord!" Celestia was the first to recover. She rushed to the doors and attempted to insert her horn in the slot. Her attempt failed when something obstructed her magical bone. The princess looked to see what was happening, and barely contained her anger at seeing her attempts stopped by a simple, non-magical, ordinary cork lodged in the slot. Any further attempts were forgotten once that same voice laughed at her expense.

"Ahahahahaha! Oh, the look on your face was priceless!" The voice said again. From nowhere, a mismatched creature materialized; the same creature depicted in the statue that unnerved Samus. "Really, Celestia, only you pull off some of those- GREAT GLIDING GRIFFONS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Discord yelled in an alarmed voice. This brought confusion and even more anxiety to everyone present... at least until the spirit of chaos continued speaking. "Your flank has gotten wider, like twice as wide. Slacking off more now that little Luna is here to help, huh?"

Celestia's face turned redder and redder with each word Discord said. "I will not let you run free once again!" The embarrassment and anger the Sun Princess felt became too much, and she blasted the draconequus; or tried to, before Discord winked out of existence and reappeared beside Samus.

"Ohohoho. Really Cele-" Discord was interrupted by his head freezing. He lifted his eagle talon and lion paw to feel his frozen head when a missile exploded on it, shattering it and sending frozen head fragments everywhere. Discord's limp body fell to the ground.

It wasn't long before the headless body sprang back to its feet. The eagle talon reached for its neck and grasped something. With a 'pop', the talon pulled another head, identical to the one before. He snapped his fingers and all the frozen bits turned to marshmallows, which he ate.

"Ahh... That's why I like you, my little chaotic woman. Such ferocious power hidden behind such a calm and stoic face. Such raging maelstrom of emotion perfectly disguised as cold and calculating calm. Such subtle form of turmoil. How could I not feel attracted to you?"

Samus fired her Power Beam at the spirit of chaos as response. He simply floated to his side and avoided the shots.

"Relax." said Discord, suddenly teleporting beside Samus. She leapt backwards and landed with her cannon aimed at the creature. "You need to be more laid back. All that stress is going to tense your neck stiff. I should know, I was trapped in stone for who knows how. Now..." he bowed to Samus "...to thank my beautiful Discordette! I am grateful, my dear, for your hand in my freedom. Seeing you beating that posh unicorn was very fun! Seriously Celestia, how come you still keep that annoying nephew of yours walk in the palace? His voice is so _bleck._"

All ponies now gasped at the news. They all looked at her with betrayal in their faces; even Celestia seemed confused at the statement. Samus, still aiming her cannon at Discord, didn't move a muscle.

"Samus, explain." ordered Celestia.

"I did beat some stuck-up unicorn, but that's it. I've never met this thing before. You explain." said the Hunter, looking at Discord.

"But of course, my lady." Discord said with a bow. He then turned to Celestia. "Please try to control your jealousy, Celestia. This lovely woman here has sparked that -" he got cut off again when he noticed a black orb with a purple glow slowly moving toward him. He curiously touched it and it quickly expanded, swallowing the spirit of chaos. The black portal lasted another three seconds before collapsing on itself, leaving no trace of the draconequus.

A few seconds passed in which not a dust particle moved. Then, being the first to recover from the bizarre event that had just happened, Celestia asked Samus what she had done. Samus lowered her Arm Cannon and faced the ruler of the day.

"I sent him to a dark dimension. He won't be able to bother us anymore." answered Samus as she took off her helmet.

"Was that dark magic?" asked a somewhat dumbfounded princess.

"No. That was Luminoth technology."

"Did you really beat up my nephew?"

"Yes, he caught me in a _bad_ mood. And instead of going away like I suggested, he said the wrong words. Now, may I ask why you have a statue of your worst enemy in your garden?" Samus had an almost accusing frown in her face.

"That would be because I _was_ that statue." Discord's voice answered before Celestia could. Again, Samus frantically looked around trying to spot the fiend. This would be the first time anything returned from the dark dimension of the Darkburst.

A zipper appeared out of nowhere, and with a zipping noise, it opened a hole in the fabric of reality, from where Discord emerged before closing the tear in the air and eating the zipper. He was now wearing some shades, a cap, and a blue shirt with palm trees printed on it.

"Ahh! I needed that vacation. I met this delightful guy with different personalities; he was so crazy! We would've hit it off if he weren't trying to kill me. Will you ever stop surprising me?" said Discord as he pinched Samus's cheek and patted her head. She batted the offending paw away and opened fire again. He blinked out of existence and reappeared some distance away from the huntress. "I forgot to tell you! I met some friends of yours, Samus. They came to say 'hello'." said Discord as several mechanoids materialized behind him.

One of the mechanoid consisted in three metallic orbs floating in the air with several holographic panels surrounding the bigger orb. Another was a robotic gorilla with wrecking balls serving as its fists; it also had a cannon mounted on its back. The last two were four-legged mechanical spiders with a central body and a head mounted in a long sleek neck; their legs also consisted on sharp-looking spikes. Samus cursed as she now faced a Rezbit, an Ingsmasher, and two Quads; all looking ready to destroy the famous bounty hunter. She wasted no time in replacing her helmet on her head.

"Now, my dear, catch up with your friends while I discuss our future with princess grumpy." Discord told Samus. He turned his attention back to Celestia while the Rezbit and two Quads menacingly approached the huntress.

"Stand back! These things are deadly." yelled Samus when she noticed the ponies trying to get near her and help.

The Ingsmasher, on the other hand, put its attention on Celestia and the door guarding the elements. Following some of its original programming, it stood in front of the door to guard it against anything that came near.

"We need the Elements!" yelled Twilight as she and the rest of the bearers rushed toward the princess and villain. Celestia and Discord had met in combat. Or more accurately, Discord would mock Celestia while she tried to trap him in a magic bubble and failed at it. Twilight and Rarity would provide magic support, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie provided melee combat. Fluttershy could only provide moral support from behind one of the columns. "Princess! We'll distract him; go get the Elements!"

"Genius, Twilight. Yell your plan at the enemy." sarcastically commented Discord. He dashed to Celestia, hoping to cut her off, but stopped to avoid getting blasted in the face by one of Twilight's magic bolts. He then smiled when he saw the Ingsmasher send Celestia flying to the other side of the room. "Ooh, that bouncer does pack a punch."

Celestia recovered in midair, shaking her head to clear her vision. Her eyes widened and she barely avoided the energy bursts that the Ingsmasher fired at her from its cannon. She then fired her own beam at the robot, only for it to raise a white-glowing arm and deflect the attack.

Samus, meanwhile, was charging her Power Beam. She took aim and fired a Super Missile at the Rezbit. Being able to infect her suit with a powerful computer virus made it the biggest threat of the four mechanoids. The fact that they could also fire devastating lasers didn't help. The missile hit just before the Rezbit could create a barrier. Samus then leapt to her side, avoiding a swipe from the Quad's leg, and switched to the Dark Beam. As soon as she saw the barrier protecting the Rezbit disappear, she shot frenetically. The Rezbit didn't last long after that. Her victory, however, couldn't be celebrated yet, for the Quads still presented a problem.

Samus fired an ice missile and trapped one of the Quads. Her Arm Cannon switched to the Magmaul and she fired several shots at the trapped mechanoid. The explosion, albeit powerful, barely did any damage to the Quad's body, but it Head Module didn't survive. She quickly entered Morph Ball mode and slammed against the cooling device the main body extended when it overheated. The destruction of the device brought the destruction of the mechanoid.

As soon as she exited the Morph Ball, the other Quad struck her. The robot pressed its advantage, not giving the Hunter much room for a counterattack. As she evaded another swipe, Samus took noticed that Discord, the Ingsmasher, and all the ponies were distracted fighting each other. She gave a back jump to get some distance.

The Quad started spinning on the tips of its legs and rushed towards Samus, who once again entered Morph Ball and collided with her enemy. As every time before, the Quad lost balance and stopped spinning, revealing its cooling device. Samus slammed against it and destroyed the body. She returned to normal as fast as she could, switched to the Annihilator Beam, and blasted the Head Module.

Discord was kept busy with the six ponies while Celestia took the defensive against the Ingsmasher. So focused on their own fight were all of them that none of them noticed neither the powerful explosive projectile heading for the door guarding the Elements nor the dark alicorn arriving at the scene.

The explosion did a good job at catching the attention of everyone present. The dark bolt of magic striking Discord also contributed to it. The door was destroyed, revealing the box that contained the Elements of Harmony. Princess Luna wasted no time in trapping Discord in a magic bubble, with Celestia quickly joining her.

Twilight and the other bearers quickly donned their respective element and began gathering magic. Finally, Samus tackled the Ingsmasher before it got on the way of the ponies; she then spared no ammo in shooting down the robot.

Discord, instead of cowering like the time before, actually laughed at them. "This time was even shorter than last time. Oh well, better not break up the new pose." he said while adapting the same pose he was in before being petrified.

Samus watched the spectacle with mild interest. It wasn't until the rainbow-colored wave of magic surged forward to the draconequus that she gasped at the sight. Some painful memories flashed again in her mind. The 'Harmony Beam', as she decided to call it, looked awfully similar to the Hyper Beam the baby metroid gave her when it died protecting her. The screech it gave just before dying vividly sounding in her ears. Samus fell on her knees, too stunned to move.

Suddenly, it was all over.

Where Discord was now stood the same statue she saw before. All ponies were on the ground, sighing and collapsing in exhaustion. Princesses Celestia and Luna stood tall and proud at their victory. Samus deactivated her suit and lied on the floor for a few moments, before standing up and making her way toward Luna and Celestia.

"Is it over?" she asked.

"It is." answered the lunar alicorn "Sorry for the delay."

"It is fine, my sister. We were victorious in the end." Celestia said. "For now, we should all rest."

They all agreed. Well, almost.

"That was a little anticlimactic..." commented Pinkie Pie.

OXOXO

After having a small meal and a good rest, Samus had a handful trying to deal with Pinkie Pie. Turning into a ball while within the pink mare's sight _might_ have been a bad idea. "You _have_ to teach me how to turn into a ball! That's, like, the most awesome superpower ever!" Eeyup, definitely a bad idea.

Doing her best to ignore the hyperactive party pony, Samus was heading toward the throne room, where the princesses were supposed to be. Sure enough, Celestia sat on her throne, relaxing with a cup of steaming tea. Two Royal Guards stood on both sides of the throne. "You wanted to talk with me?" asked the Sun Princess when she noticed Samus and Pinkie Pie enter the room.

"Yes. I request to speak with Darkly, the changeling I entrusted your guards with." Samus answered. Pinkie Pie gasped loudly at this.

"You brought a changeling? Those things that eat love? Why?" Pinkie Pie asked. She was ignored.

"Of course. My sister has gone to talk to him to the dungeons. Princess Cadance has joined her." answered Celestia. Her response infuriated Samus.

"What do you mean dungeons? I specifically ordered your guards that he would NOT be harmed." said the Hunter in a misleadingly calm voice. Pinkie Pie just looked back and forth at the human and the alicorn.

"He was not. You would do well to remember the Royal Guard serve Luna and myself, not you. And until I've confirmed the changeling poses no threat, he shall stay in the dungeons. If you wish to speak to him, go ahead. But he will not be released until I consider it wise to do so." said Celestia sternly.

Samus stood still and quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "I will check up on him. Pray he is well." She turned to leave, but was interrupted by the Sun Princess.

"Samus, did something happen during your mission? You have been acting rather aggressively ever since you came back."

"I may have damned an innocent child with the same curse I have." was Samus's simple response.

"What do you mean by curse?"

"That's none of your business." With that, Samus left for the dungeons. Princess Celestia looked curiously at Pinkie Pie, but only got a shrug as a response.

The walk was a short one. Samus, however, felt like it took ages. She was anxious. Afraid, even, of the reaction she would cause on Darkly. When she reached the cells, two alicorns could be seen. Samus noticed Luna deep in conversation with Darkly. Judging by her expression, Luna did not openly dislike the changeling; she even gave a small laugh. The other alicorn, however, looked a lot more contemptuous at the prisoner. This was Princess Cadance, Samus supposed. A deep frown adorned her features, and the hate she felt for the creature was almost palpable.

"Stop talking to it so casually, Princess Luna. He is a danger to ponies and should be-" Princess Cadance stopped talking when she noticed the human approach them. "Who are you?"

"I'm Samus Aran. Princess Cadance, I presume?"

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza... Yes, Cadance is fine. What are you doing here, Samus Aran?" asked the pink alicorn.

"I came to make sure Darkly was fine. Judging by your attitude towards him, I would think you may present a threat to him. Before you say anything else, I promised to break the legs of whoever harms him in any way."

Princess Cadance was taken aback from the sheer... rudeness this character addressed her with. While not really a fan of formalities, Cadance had yet to meet someone talk to her so boldly. In the back, Luna was just as surprised at the Hunter's outburst and threat.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Princess Luna is actually a lot nicer than I thought." Darkly said from behind bars.

"He can't be trusted. Something that feeds on love can't be good." insisted Cadance.

"I don't care. Anyway, I see Darkly is well. I trust you will do a good job, Luna." Samus said, giving a nod to the Moon Princess. She turned back to Cadance. "Remember: harm him and I'll beat the shit out of you."

"As the Princess of Love, I can't allow changelings to roam free! Don't you understand?"

"Princess of love... ugh. Look, I understand. Really, I do. But I'm a very selfish person, so whatever your reasons may be, I'll still brutalize you if you lay a single strand of you mane on him."

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza just stood there, gawking, as she tried to process what was just said to her. Finally, she erupted. "THE CHANGELINGS RUINED MY WEDDING! THEY LAUNCHED AN INVASION ON CANTERLOT THE SAME DAY I WAS TO WED! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT MEANS?!"

"As far as I know, you are happily married to Shining Armor, bless his naïve heart. This means your wedding ultimately was a success, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, have you ever witnessed the ones you love and hold dear murdered right before your eyes?"

"No..."

"Then shut up." Samus turned back to Darkly "I'll be seeing you." Darkly just looked at her with a mix of hate and gratefulness. Princess Cadance just barely contained the anger this human made her feel.

Samus left the dungeon, intent on returning to her ship and back to Ponyville and eager to leave this day behind.

OXOXO

Samus's ship landed gracefully in the same clearing it crashed in. Adam's voice had returned to normal after Discord's defeat. Judging by what the ponies said about the draconequus, it was safe to assume Adam had been affected by his chaotic influence.

They arrived at Ponyville almost at dusk. The ponies had insisted on staying to visit Canterlot, given that they were already there. Samus joined them, but spent the entire time thinking about her situation. To say she disliked the new 'princess' would be an understatement, same with the imbecile that called himself Blueblood (even if she acted out of line, she didn't regret beating the bloody idiot). And Celestia was not far behind them; who the hell leaves the petrified form of their enemies in the garden for all to see when all it takes is a little fight to free them?

Anyway, they were landing now. One by one, the ponies exited the ship, saying their 'goodnights' and going home. Once she was left alone, Samus made one last check-up on her ship.

As expected, the ship was now in top condition. Samus opted to refill her ammo and missiles, as well as her suit's energy tanks. That done, she lay on her comfy chair in her Zero Suit. Not long after that, she fell asleep.

OXOXO

Darkness.

All around her, darkness.

Suddenly, the black gave way to a grassy field. Human architecture was visible in the field. More and more buildings became visible. Samus recognized this place as the colony of K2L, her home planet. Samus was still floating while looking at her former home. The landscape was just as she remembered it. But something was amiss; there was something missing.

Ah, it was empty. That was it. There were buildings, but not a single living creature was within sight. She briefly wondered if this was going to be another nightmare regarding the worst and most traumatic day of her life, until she remembered they always started with her in her mother's embrace.

So if this wasn't a dream, or nightmare, what was it?

"Hello." a voice said behind her. Samus turned around. She didn't startle nor jumped into action, as she would normally do; and she took notice of that. Whoever or whatever spoke did it with a voice she never heard before, but radiated familiarity nonetheless.

Her shape, however, did not.

Before Samus stood a pony. She was a strong pink and had a purple mane with white streaks in some parts of it. On her flank was her cutie mark, which consisted of a baseball and a screw. She was wearing a yellow and white beanie with a green propeller. But her most distinctive features were her eyes. Instead of the normal pupils she had seen on other ponies, this one had purple irises, but spirals instead of corneas. Somehow, it seemed to look good on the mare.

"Who are you?" asked the human.

"I'm you. Or part of your. Or part of your mind. I guess this is kinda confusing... I know! You can call me Screwball."


End file.
